UP Gazette

There were 71 African American students enrolled in Chippewa County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 5.3% less 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, African American students comprised 1.5% of the student body to be the third lowest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 18 schools in Chippewa County, Sault Area Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 14 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 African American students enrolment	Total enrollment
Sault Area Middle School	2.6	533
Rudyard Area Schools	2	603
Pickford Public Schools	1.9	463
Sault Area High School	1	720
Lincoln School	2	352
Washington Elementary School	2.4	246
Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy	0.7	596
Brimley Area School	0.9	460
DeTour Arts and Technology Academy	4.5	67
Consolidated Community School Services	2.2	89
EUPISD Learning Center	1.7	58
Lake Superior Academy	1.2	85
Malcolm High School	1.1	88
Drummond Island Elementary School	0	45
Ojibwe Charter School	0	144
DeTour High School	0	48
Whitefish Township School	0	63
EUPISD Project Search	0	2