UP Gazette

There were 4,455 students enrolled in Chippewa County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 2.9% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Boys made up 51.9% of the county student body, while the other 48.1% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 53.5% of the student body, the highest percentage in Chippewa County schools, followed by 39% American Indian, 3.5% multiracial, 1.8% Hispanic, 1.3% African American, 0.6% Asian and 0.2% Hawaiian students.

Sault Area High School had the highest enrollment among Chippewa County's 22 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 692 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.

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	Total enrollment in 2023-24	Total enrollment in 2024-25	% change
Sault Area High School	740	692	-6.5%
Rudyard Area Schools	602	602	0%
Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy	597	601	0.7%
Sault Area Middle School	498	498	0%
Brimley Area School	451	463	2.7%
Pickford Public Schools	433	430	-0.7%
Lincoln School	350	342	-2.3%
Washington Elementary School	227	195	-14.1%
Ojibwe Charter School	137	125	-8.8%
Lake Superior Academy	91	93	2.2%
DeTour Arts and Technology Academy	80	77	-3.7%
Malcolm High School	89	71	-20.2%
EUPISD Learning Center	62	61	-1.6%
Consolidated Community School Services	89	59	-33.7%
Drummond Island Elementary School	53	53	0%
DeTour High School	38	45	18.4%
Whitefish Township School	48	42	-12.5%
EUPISD Project Search	5	6	20%