UP Gazette

There were 1,823 American Indian students enrolled in Chippewa County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.2% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Chippewa County welcomed 4,662 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 39.1% of the student body to be the second highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 18 schools in Chippewa County, Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 295 students.

Overall student enrollment in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels, with white students experiencing the largest decline at 6.5%.

Academic performance has also suffered, with the state's average NAEP score dropping by 6.5 points and ethnic achievement gaps have widened. Black and Hispanic students' average math proficiency dropped by 7% in 2022, to 13.5% and 28.2%, respectively.

School name	% of American Indian students enrolment	Total enrollment
Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy	49.5	596
Sault Area High School	38.6	720
Brimley Area School	50.2	460
Rudyard Area Schools	34.5	603
Sault Area Middle School	35.6	533
Lincoln School	36.1	352
Ojibwe Charter School	86.8	144
Pickford Public Schools	24.4	463
Washington Elementary School	37.4	246
Malcolm High School	60.2	88
Consolidated Community School Services	40.4	89
EUPISD Learning Center	34.5	58
Lake Superior Academy	21.2	85
DeTour High School	27.1	48
DeTour Arts and Technology Academy	14.9	67
Whitefish Township School	14.3	63
Drummond Island Elementary School	8.9	45
EUPISD Project Search	50	2