UP Gazette

There were 1,764 American Indian students enrolled in Chippewa County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.2% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Chippewa County welcomed 4,590 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 38.4% 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 2023-24 school year, with a total of 314 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	52.6	597
Sault Area High School	36.9	740
Brimley Area School	51.9	451
Rudyard Area Schools	34.1	602
Sault Area Middle School	33.5	498
Lincoln School	38	350
Ojibwe Charter School	87.6	137
Pickford Public Schools	23.1	433
Washington Elementary School	30.8	227
Malcolm High School	55.1	89
Consolidated Community School Services	38.2	89
EUPISD Learning Center	37.1	62
Lake Superior Academy	15.4	91
DeTour Arts and Technology Academy	15	80
DeTour High School	21.1	38
Drummond Island Elementary School	9.4	53
Whitefish Township School	6.3	48
EUPISD Project Search	0	5