UP Gazette

Houghton Elementary School had the largest enrollment among Houghton County schools, welcoming 618 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, 53.7% of them were boys, and 46.3% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 89.8% of the Houghton Elementary School total enrollment.

Among the 17 schools in Houghton County, Calumet High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 525 students, while Calumet Laurium & Keweenaw Elementary School welcomed 496 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Houghton Elementary School is part of Houghton-Portage Township School District, which roughly covers schools within Houghton County, with its main office in Houghton.

In the previous school year, Houghton Elementary School also had the largest number of students among Houghton 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.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Houghton Elementary School	Houghton	618
Calumet High School	Calumet	525
Calumet Laurium & Keweenaw Elementary School	Calumet	496
Houghton Central High School	Houghton	481
Copper Island Academy	Calumet	386
Houghton Middle School	Houghton	359
Lake Linden-Hubbell Schools	Lake Linden	327
Dollar BayTamarack City Area K-12 School	Dollar Bay	317
Hancock Middle-High School	Hancock	292
Washington Middle School	Calumet	275
Jeffers High School	Painesdale	270
Barkell Elementary School	Hancock	257
South Range Elementary School	South Range	204
Chassell K-12 School	Chassell	192
E. B. Holman Elementary School	Atlantic Mine	183
Copper Country Learning Center	Hancock	82
Elm River Township School	Toivola	8