Kalkaska Public Schools
| Kalkaska Public Schools | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
315 South Coral Street[1]
, Kalkaska County, Michigan, 49646United States | |
| Coordinates | 44°43′56″N 85°10′57″W / 44.73232°N 85.18257°W |
| District information | |
| Motto | Inspiring excellence through perseverance, resilience, and individual success.[3] |
| Grades | Pre-Kindergarten-12 |
| Superintendent | Rick Heitmeyer[2] |
| Schools | 4[3] |
| Budget | $21,187,000 2021-2022 expenditures[1] |
| NCES District ID | 2620050[1] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 1,372 (2023-2024)[1] |
| Teachers | 92.8 (on an FTE basis) (2023-2024)[1] |
| Staff | 194.82 FTE (2023-2024)[1] |
| Student–teacher ratio | 14.78 (2023-2024)[1] |
| Other information | |
| Website | www |
Kalkaska Public Schools is a public school district in Kalkaska County in Northern Michigan. It serves Kalkaska and the townships of Blue Lake, Kalkaska, and Oliver. It also serves parts of the townships of Bear Lake, Clearwater, Cold Springs, Excelsior, Garfield, Orange, and Rapid River, and Springfield.[4]
History
Kalkaska's school burned down in March 1943 and was replaced with a new building the next year.[5]
The current Kalkaska High School was built around 1960.[6]
In 1993, the school district gained national attention when it ended the 1992–93 school year in March, 10 weeks ahead of schedule, due to bankruptcy. This was the first instance in recent memory of a Michigan public school district closing early rather than cutting programs.[7][8]
The district's revenue crisis led to a public outcry for reform and contributed to the passage of Proposal A in 1994, which changed Michigan's public school funding mechanisms. The district ultimately recovered financially. It finished $19 million in additions and renovation projects around 2013.[9]
Excelsior Township School District No. 1
Fully encompassed by the boundary of Kalkaska Public Schools is the independent school district Excelsior Township School District 1,[4] whose only school is a frame one-room schoolhouse called Crawford School. It has two teachers and houses grades kindergarten through eight.[10] While many rural school districts in Kalkaska County with one-room schoolhouses consolidated with Kalkaska Public Schools over the years, voters in Excelsior Township School District No. 1 chose to stay independent because they felt their students would receive more personalized attention and they took pride in the well-maintained historic school building. After graduating from the school, students attend Kalkaska High School or Forest Area High School.[11]
Schools
Most of the district's schools share a campus in Kalkaska, and the district also operates an elementary school in Rapid City.[3]
| School | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kalkaska High School | 109 N. Birch Street, Kalkaska | Grades 9-12 |
| Kalkaska Middle School | 1700 Kalkaska Road, Kalkaska | Grades 6-8 |
| Kalkaska Upper Elementary | 309 N. Birch Street, Kalkaska | Grades 3-5 |
| Birch Street Elementary | 309 N. Birch Street, Kalkaska | Grades PreK-2 |
| Rapid City Elementary | 5258 River Street, Rapid City | Grades PreK-5 |
| Early Childhood Learning Center | Preschool |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Kalkaska Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
- ^ Kalkaska Public Schools. "Central Office Staff". Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Kalkaska Public Schools. "Kalkaska Public Schools". Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. "Kalkaska County School Districts" (PDF). Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "New Kalkaska school to be open to pupils". Grand Rapids Press. August 28, 1944. p. 6.
- ^ "Open bids on new Kalkaska High School". Traverse City Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Michigan). March 20, 1959. p. 19.
- ^ "Bankrupt school district closes". UPI. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "SCHOOL'S OUT IN KALKASKA". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ Carr, Tom (July 3, 2013). "Looking Back: Kalkaska Schools' Decision To End 1993 Year Prematurely". Interlochen Public Radio.
- ^ Excelsior Township School District No. 1. "About the District". Retrieved December 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hanrahan, Dan (September 30, 1975). "Crawford School turns 100". Traverse City Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Michigan). p. 13.
External links