UP Gazette

There were 1,290 students enrolled in Iron County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.6% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Girls made up 51.6% of the county student body, while the other 48.4% were boys.

Data also showed that white students made up 87.8% of the student body, the biggest percentage in Iron County schools, followed by 6.6% of multiracial students, 4.4% of Hispanic students, 0.5% of African American students, 0.3% of American Indian students, 0.2% of Asian students and less than 0.1% of Hawaiian students.

Forest Park School had the highest enrollment among Iron County's four schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 487 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	Total enrollment in 2022-23	Total enrollment in 2023-24	% change
Forest Park School	479	487	1.7
West Iron County High School	469	438	-6.6
Stambaugh Elementary School	377	365	-3.2