UP Gazette

Marquette Senior High School had the largest enrollment among Marquette County schools, welcoming 942 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, 52.8% of them were boys, and 47.2% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 87.6% of the Marquette Senior High School total enrollment.

Among the 25 schools in Marquette County, Aspen Ridge Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 721 students, while Bothwell Middle School welcomed 696 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Marquette Senior High School is part of Marquette Area Public Schools, which roughly covers schools within Marquette County, with its main office in Marquette.

In the previous school year, Marquette Senior High School also had the largest number of students among Marquette 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
Marquette Senior High School	Marquette	942
Aspen Ridge Elementary School	Ishpeming	721
Bothwell Middle School	Marquette	696
Lakeview School	Negaunee	584
Gwinn Middle-High School	Gwinn	477
Negaunee High School	Negaunee	474
Negaunee Middle School	Negaunee	464
Cherry Creek Elementary School	Marquette	430
Superior Hills Elementary School	Marquette	405
Westwood High School	Ishpeming	384
Sandy Knoll School	Marquette	322
Graveraet Elementary School	Marquette	289
Birchview School	Ishpeming	233
George D. Gilbert Elementary School	Gwinn	208
K. I. Sawyer Elementary School	Gwinn	207
Ishpeming Middle School	Ishpeming	185
Ishpeming High School	Ishpeming	172
North Star Montessori Academy	Marquette	145
Vandenboom Alternative High School	Marquette	127
Republic-Michigamme School	Republic	80
Marquette-Alger Administrative Unit	Marquette	50
Powell Township Elementary School	Big Bay	46
Ishpeming-Negaunee-NICE Community Education Division	Negaunee	22
Wells Township School	Arnold	8
Marquette Branch Prison	Marquette	1