UP Gazette

There were 45 African American students enrolled in Houghton County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 6.3% 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, African American students comprised 0.9% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in Houghton County, Houghton Elementary School recorded the largest enrollment of African American students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 10 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 African American students enrolment	Total enrollment
Elm River Township School	12.5%	8
Copper Island Academy	2.1%	386
Lake Linden-Hubbell Schools	1.8%	327
Houghton Elementary School	1.6%	618
Washington Middle School	1.1%	275
Calumet Laurium & Keweenaw Elementary School	0.8%	496
Houghton Middle School	0.8%	359
Barkell Elementary School	0.8%	257
Dollar BayTamarack City Area K-12 School	0.6%	317
Jeffers High School	0.4%	270
Houghton Central High School	0.4%	481
Calumet High School	0.4%	525
Hancock Middle-High School	0.3%	292
South Range Elementary School	0%	204
E. B. Holman Elementary School	0%	183
Chassell K-12 School	0%	192
Copper Country Learning Center	0%	82