UP Gazette

There were 140 African American students enrolled in Menominee County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 19.1% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Menominee County welcomed 3,547 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 3.9% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 14 schools in Menominee County, Uplift Michigan Academy recorded the largest enrollment of African American students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 122 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
Uplift Michigan Academy	21.8%	559
Menominee Junior High School	1.8%	271
North Central Middle School	1.6%	61
Menominee High School	0.9%	352
Blesch Intermediate School	0.8%	531
North Central Elementary School	0.8%	123
Stephenson Area Public School	0.5%	380
Bark River-Harris Elementary School	0.5%	410
Bark River-Harris Junior-Senior High School	0%	311
Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy	0%	182
Carney-Nadeau Public School	0%	217
Phoenix Alternative High School	0%	37
North Central Area Senior High School	0%	100
Menominee ISD Special Education	0%	13