Elk Rapids School District

What Elk Rapids School District does

Elk Rapids School District is a public K-12 school district headquartered at 308 Meguzee Point Rd in Elk Rapids, Michigan, founded in 1895 and organized as a political subdivision of the State of Michigan. The district operates Lakeland Elementary School (transitional kindergarten through grade 5), Cherryland Middle School (grades 6-8), Elk Rapids High School (grades 9-12), and Sunrise Academy as an alternate virtual high school, serving families across the Elk Rapids area within the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (TBAISD / Northwest Education Services) region.

The district's technology infrastructure is anchored by a 1:1 device program (iPads for K-5, Chromebooks for grades 6-12) and standard edtech platforms — PowerSchool for student information management and Google Classroom for learning management. Specialized programs include the AP Honors Academy (AP Statistics, AP World History, AP Literature & Composition); the Positivity Project for character development, in which Cherryland Middle School was the first Northern Michigan participant; the Student Robotics League in partnership with Quarkmine (design, 3D-print, build, battle); Michigan Youth in Government; SLAM (Student Leaders Achieve More); and an extensive extracurricular athletics program with over 30 interscholastic teams. Recognition includes Top 2% of Michigan high schools and Top 5% nationally per U.S. News & World Report (#22 of 1147 state high schools), a Newsweek Top STEM ranking, a 96% graduation rate, 90%+ post-secondary education pursuit, and 133 conference athletic championships.

Elk Rapids School District is funded primarily through Michigan's per-pupil foundation allowance, local property taxes, and federal education grants — the entity has no equity funding and is not a publicly traded corporation. Supplementary revenue streams include tuition-based preschool programs, athletic participation fees, food-service operations, and community fundraising (notably the annual "We Are ER" dinner auction with tiered local business sponsorships). Governance rests with an elected Board of Education; there is no parent company or private equity ownership, and revenue mechanics are tax-driven rather than market-driven.

Name

Elk Rapids School District

Legal name

Elk Rapids School District

Website

https://erschools.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Elk Rapids School District is a Michigan public K-12 school district operating Lakeland Elementary, Cherryland Middle School, Elk Rapids High School, and Sunrise Academy, serving local families across Northern Michigan with AP, STEM, and character-development programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Elk Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. State and Local Tax Revenue: Public school district funded primarily through state and local tax revenues, including per-pupil foundation allowance from the state of Michigan.
2. Tuition-Based Programs: Early childhood programs include Tuition-Based preschool programs where families pay tuition for enrollment.
3. Fundraising and Donations: We Are ER Fundraiser dinner auction event with advertising sponsorships at various levels (Platinum, Silver, Bronze, Orange & Black) to raise funds for the district.
4. Athletic Participation Fees: Fees for extracurricular participation including athletics as outlined in the Athletic Participation Fee Guidelines.
5. Free and Reduced Price Meals: Food service program complies with USDA guidelines for free and reduced meals, with district subsidizing where necessary.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Elk Rapids School District is a public K-12 school district that delivers tuition-free primary, middle, and high school instruction to resident students across four schools (Lakeland Elementary, Cherryland Middle School, Elk Rapids High School, and Sunrise Academy alternate virtual school). It supplements classroom instruction with tuition-based early childhood programs, a 1:1 student device program, AP Honors Academy coursework, athletics, performing arts, robotics, and a career-readiness curriculum.

Product overview

Elk Rapids School District operates as a public school district in Michigan comprising Lakeland Elementary School (K-5), Cherryland Middle School (6-8), and Elk Rapids High School, along with Sunrise Academy for virtual learning. The district offers educational programs including the AP Honors Academy, the Positivity Project for character development, Student Robotics League competitions, drama productions, and comprehensive extracurricular athletics. Technology infrastructure includes 1:1 device programs (iPads/Chromebooks), PowerSchool for student information management, and Google Classroom for learning management. The district emphasizes whole-child education with community involvement, multiple athletic teams (over 30), award-winning arts programs, and regional leadership in advanced placement offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Positivity Project (P2): A character development program that encourages students to build strong relationships and use their personal character strengths. Partnered with Cherryland Middle School in 2019-2020.
• Michigan Youth in Government (MYIG)
• Student Robotics League (SRL)
• We Are ER Fundraiser
• WOW Summer School (World of Wonder)
• SLAM (Student Leaders Achieve More)

Products and services

• Lakeland Elementary School Public elementary school serving the district's youngest students with foundational literacy, numeracy, and the district's 1:1 device program.
• Cherryland Middle School Public middle school delivering core secondary instruction, exploratory electives, and athletics to middle-grade students in the Elk Rapids community.
• Elk Rapids High School Comprehensive public high school offering college preparatory, AP Honors Academy, career and technical education, performing arts, athletics, and robotics to high school students.
• Sunrise Academy (Alternate Virtual High School) Alternate virtual high school serving students who need a non-traditional pathway to earn their high school diploma through online instruction.
• Tuition-Based Early Childhood Programs Fee-based preschool and early childhood programs for young children in the Elk Rapids community, providing school readiness prior to K-12 enrollment.
• WOW (World of Wonder) Summer School Summer school program offering enrichment and academic experiences to district students during the summer break.
• AP Honors Academy Advanced Placement and honors-level academic program offering rigorous college-preparatory coursework to academically high-performing high school students.
• Drama Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% graduation rate
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Positivity Project (P2)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Cherryland Middle School was the first school in Northern Michigan to partner with the Positivity Project. P2 encourages students to build strong relationships and helps students use their personal character strengths to help themselves and support those around them. Students and teachers explore all 24 character strengths throughout the school year.
• QuarkminecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCherryland Middle School partners with Quarkmine to bring the Student Robotics League (SRL) to Elk Rapids. SRL is the ultimate arena where branded innovation meets adrenaline. Students design, 3D print, build, and battle their robots in high-energy robotics competitions.
• Food 4 Kids by the Manna Food ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBackpack Club program where food is placed in students' lockers on Fridays to have over the weekend when school is not in session. Partnership addresses food insecurity among students.
• Northwest Education Services (TBAISD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistrict participates in Northwest Education Services (formerly TBAISD - Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District), providing regional educational services and support.
• Signs of Suicide Prevention ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuccessful presentation of Signs of Suicide Prevention Program to all high school students for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
• Various Local Business SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWe Are ER Fundraiser has advertising sponsors including Platinum (Revive Exteriors), Silver (Village Market, Events North Inc., etc.), Bronze (Chef Chucks, Bay Bread, etc.), and Orange & Black sponsors (Fischer Insurance, NXTLVL CLOUD, LLC, LEAN GOAT, LLC).

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Traverse City Area Public Schools: Larger public K-12 district in the same Northern Michigan/TBAISD region; serves as the primary cross-district competitor and direct peer in enrollment, athletics, and AP/STEM offerings.
• Suttons Bay Public Schools: Nearby small public K-12 district of comparable size and rural character; competes for the same open-enrollment families along the Grand Traverse region.
• Glen Lake Community Schools: Similar-sized Northern Michigan public K-12 district serving a comparable lakeside community; competes on academic reputation, athletics, and college-prep offerings.
• Northport Public School District: Small public K-12 district in the same Leelanau County region; matches Elk Rapids on scale, community-school model, and rural Michigan demographic profile.
• Bellaire Public Schools: Comparable small public K-12 district in Northern Michigan with similar academic, athletic, and extracurricular profile; competes for open-enrollment students and tuition-based preschool families.
• Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools: Public K-12 district of similar scale on the Lake Michigan shoreline; directly comparable on athletics, AP offerings, and rural community-school economics.
• Benzie County Central Schools: Regional public K-12 district in Northwest Michigan within the same TBAISD ecosystem; competes on college-readiness outcomes and interscholastic athletics.
• Kingsley Area Schools: Public K-12 district in Grand Traverse County with similar size, demographics, and academic profile; a natural direct peer on enrollment, funding model, and program breadth.
• Forest Area Community Schools: Northern Michigan public K-12 district of comparable rural scale; matches Elk Rapids on funding structure (per-pupil aid + property tax) and small-district program economics.

Broad incumbents

• National Heritage Academies: Large charter-school management organization operating K-8 schools in Michigan; competes with Elk Rapids for open-enrollment students and represents a structural private-operator alternative to traditional public school districts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/erschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/elkrapidsweareer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cherryland-middle-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elk Rapids School District