UP Gazette

There were 58 Hispanic students enrolled in Houghton County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 3.6% more 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, Hispanic students comprised 1.1% of the student body to be the fourth most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in Houghton County, Barkell Elementary School recorded the largest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of nine 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 Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Barkell Elementary School	3.5%	257
Washington Middle School	2.5%	275
Dollar BayTamarack City Area K-12 School	1.9%	317
Calumet High School	1.3%	525
Houghton Central High School	1.2%	481
Jeffers High School	1.1%	270
Houghton Middle School	1.1%	359
Hancock Middle-High School	1%	292
Calumet Laurium & Keweenaw Elementary School	1%	496
Houghton Elementary School	0.6%	618
E. B. Holman Elementary School	0.5%	183
South Range Elementary School	0.5%	204
Chassell K-12 School	0.5%	192
Copper Island Academy	0.3%	386
Lake Linden-Hubbell Schools	0%	327
Elm River Township School	0%	8
Copper Country Learning Center	0%	82