Ontonagon County Education: Which district had most students enrolled in schools in 2024-25 school year?

Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/

By UP Gazette

May 12, 2025

Ontonagon Area School District had the highest enrollment among Ontonagon County districts, welcoming 271 students during the 2024-25 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 50.2% of them were girls, and 49.8% were boys.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 89.3% of the Ontonagon Area School District total enrollment.

Among the three districts in Ontonagon County, Ewen-Trout Creek Consolidated School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 170 students, while Gogebic-Ontonagon ISD welcomed 128 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Ontonagon Area School District roughly covers schools within Ontonagon County, with its main office in Ontonagon.

In the previous school year, Ontonagon Area School District also had the highest number of students among Ontonagon County schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,427,386 students enrolled in Michigan schools, a figure 4.8% below the pre-pandemic total of 1,499,552 in 2019-20, with white students seeing the largest decline of approximately 3%.

Academic performance in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the 2024 NAEP results, the share of students reaching the basic benchmark in core subjects is about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019—except for fourth-grade math, which saw a decline of just 2 points.

Achievement gaps between ethnic groups also persist. On average, Hispanic students scored 15 points below white students. The gap was even wider for Black students, who scored about 30 points lower than their white peers.

The 2025 education budget, approved by Gov. Whitmer last July, totals $23.4 billion—$900 million less than the previous year’s budget. K-12 schools are working with $20.6 billion, a reduction from the $21.5 billion allocated in 2024.

However, some school superintendents and educators were concerned about the new budget. "Schools cannot function properly without adequate funding for safety and mental health," stated Rep. David Martin, R-Davison, referring to a significant cut of around $301 million from school safety and mental health programs. Based on the current bill, the program will receive just $26.5 million.

Enrollment in Ontonagon County Over 10 Years