UP Gazette

Sault Area High School had the largest enrollment among Chippewa County schools, welcoming 740 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 53.8% of them were boys, and 46.2% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 57.6% of the Sault Area High School total enrollment.

Among the 18 schools in Chippewa County, Rudyard Area Schools ranked second in enrollment numbers with 602 students, while Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy welcomed 597 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Sault Area High School is part of Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools, which roughly covers schools within Chippewa County, with its main office in Sault Sainte Marie.

In the previous school year, Sault Area High School also had the largest number of students among Chippewa County schools.

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	City	Total School Enrollment
Sault Area High School	Sault Sainte Marie	740
Rudyard Area Schools	Rudyard	602
Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy	Sault Sainte Marie	597
Sault Area Middle School	Sault Sainte Marie	498
Brimley Area School	Brimley	451
Pickford Public Schools	Pickford	433
Lincoln School	Sault Sainte Marie	350
Washington Elementary School	Sault Sainte Marie	227
Ojibwe Charter School	Brimley	137
Lake Superior Academy	Sault S Marie	91
Consolidated Community School Services	Kincheloe	89
Malcolm High School	Sault S Marie	89
DeTour Arts and Technology Academy	De Tour Village	80
EUPISD Learning Center	Rudyard	62
Drummond Island Elementary School	Drummond Island	53
Whitefish Township School	Paradise	48
DeTour High School	De Tour Village	38
EUPISD Project Search	Sault S Marie	5