UP Gazette

There were 4,969 white students enrolled in Houghton County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 0.1% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Houghton County welcomed 5,272 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, white students comprised 94.3% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in Houghton County, Houghton Elementary School recorded the largest enrollment of white students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 555 students.

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	% of white students enrolment	Total enrollment
South Range Elementary School	99%	204
Dollar BayTamarack City Area K-12 School	97.2%	317
Jeffers High School	97%	270
Hancock Middle-High School	96.9%	292
Calumet Laurium & Keweenaw Elementary School	96.8%	496
E. B. Holman Elementary School	96.7%	183
Copper Island Academy	96.6%	386
Lake Linden-Hubbell Schools	96.6%	327
Calumet High School	96%	525
Chassell K-12 School	94.8%	192
Washington Middle School	92.7%	275
Barkell Elementary School	91.8%	257
Houghton Central High School	91.1%	481
Houghton Elementary School	89.8%	618
Houghton Middle School	89.1%	359
Elm River Township School	87.5%	8
Copper Country Learning Center	86.6%	82