UP Gazette

There were 75 African American students enrolled in Chippewa County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 5.6% more 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, African American students comprised 1.6% of the student body to be the third lowest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 18 schools in Chippewa County, Sault Area High School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2023-24 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 High School	1.9	740
Rudyard Area Schools	2	602
Sault Area Middle School	1.8	498
Lincoln School	2.3	350
Pickford Public Schools	1.8	433
Washington Elementary School	2.6	227
Consolidated Community School Services	5.6	89
Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy	0.5	597
Brimley Area School	0.7	451
DeTour High School	5.3	38
Drummond Island Elementary School	1.9	53
Lake Superior Academy	1.1	91
DeTour Arts and Technology Academy	1.3	80
Malcolm High School	1.1	89
EUPISD Learning Center	1.6	62
Ojibwe Charter School	0	137
EUPISD Project Search	0	5
Whitefish Township School	0	48