UP Gazette

Uplift Michigan Academy had the largest enrollment among Menominee County schools, welcoming 559 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, 51.7% of them were boys, and 48.3% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 57.2% of the Uplift Michigan Academy total enrollment.

Among the 14 schools in Menominee County, Blesch Intermediate School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 531 students, while Bark River-Harris Elementary School welcomed 410 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Uplift Michigan Academy is part of Uplift Michigan Academy, which roughly covers schools within Menominee County, with its main office in Stephenson.

In the previous school year, Uplift Michigan Academy also had the largest number of students among Menominee 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
Uplift Michigan Academy	Stephenson	559
Blesch Intermediate School	Menominee	531
Bark River-Harris Elementary School	Harris	410
Stephenson Area Public School	Stephenson	380
Menominee High School	Menominee	352
Bark River-Harris Junior-Senior High School	Harris	311
Menominee Junior High School	Menominee	271
Carney-Nadeau Public School	Carney	217
Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy	Wilson	182
North Central Elementary School	Hermansville	123
North Central Area Senior High School	Powers	100
North Central Middle School	Powers	61
Phoenix Alternative High School	Powers	37
Menominee ISD Special Education	Menominee	13