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Schools›Michigan›TRAVERSE CITY
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTHWEST EDUCATION SERVICES·NCES 268044001584

Life Skills Center

880 PARSONS RD, TRAVERSE CITY, MI 49686 · (231) 922-6357 · Grand Traverse County
GRADES UG–UGHIGH13-CITYTITLE ISPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL67 STUDENTS
Enrollment
67
High
DISTRICT 69 · STATE 460
Student : Teacher
3.4:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 4.5:1 · STATE 21.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
63%
42 students
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 55%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Ungraded
67
Student demographics
White
6090%
DISTRICT 88% · STATE 63%
Hispanic
23%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 9%
Black
11%
DISTRICT 3% · STATE 18%
Asian
11%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 4%
Two+
11%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 5%
Native American
23%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 1%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
3755%
Female
3045%

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BeatsExpectations

Not computed for this school
BeatsExpectations is not computed for specialized-population schools (schools for the deaf or blind, therapeutic and behavioral-health placements, juvenile-justice and alternative-education settings, and similar). State ELA/Math proficiency rates are not a comparable metric for these populations, so a demographically-adjusted residual against general-enrollment peers would be misleading. About the methodology →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
67
-3 (-4%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
3.4:1
was 3.0:1
% White
90%
was 87%
% Hispanic
3%
was 9%
% Black
1%
was 3%
% Asian
1%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About Life Skills Center

Life Skills Center is a secondary school of one-room-style scale in TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan, part of Northwest Education Services, enrolling 67 students in grade UG. That puts it 85% smaller than the typical public school in Michigan, which averages around 460 students.

Across the 4 schools in Northwest Education Services (276 students total), Life Skills Center accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Life Skills Center logs that the student body is overwhelmingly White (90%). Beyond that, the school lists 3% Hispanic, 3% Native American. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Life Skills Center has 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 3.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 21.6:1, putting Life Skills Center tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 63% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Grand Traverse County (around 31%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Grand Traverse County) shows that median household income runs about $81,647, 41% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Grand Traverse County runs 32 public schools (combined enrollment of about 12,069 students), of which Life Skills Center is one.

Nearest neighbor: Traverse City High School, around 0.4 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The school occupies a downtown site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Life Skills Center has fell 4%, going from 70 students in 2018 to 67 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 9% to 3% across the same window.

On this page, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.

Grand Traverse County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
96,166
Census ACS
Median income
$81,647
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
41%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
32
12,069 students

Quick facts

School name
Life Skills Center
District
Northwest Education Services
Address
880 PARSONS RD, TRAVERSE CITY, MI 49686
Phone
(231) 922-6357
County
Grand Traverse County
Level
High
Grade range
UG–UG
Total enrollment
67
Teachers (FTE)
20
Student–teacher ratio
3.4:1
Free/Reduced lunch
42 (63%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
268044001584
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Northwest Education Services
Other schools in TRAVERSE CITY
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Life Skills Center
How large is Life Skills Center?
Life Skills Center enrolls approximately 67 students in grades UG-UG.
Is Life Skills Center an elementary, middle, or high school?
Life Skills Center is a high school covering grades UG-UG.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Life Skills Center?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Life Skills Center is approximately 3.4:1 (20 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Life Skills Center?
Life Skills Center reports a student body of 90% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Life Skills Center public or private?
Life Skills Center is a public K-12 school, overseen by Northwest Education Services.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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