UP Gazette

There were 4,394 students enrolled in Delta County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 0.2% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Boys made up 51.1% of the county student body, while the other 48.9% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 86.3% of the student body, the highest percentage in Delta County schools, followed by 6.3% multiracial, 4.2% American Indian, 1.9% Hispanic, 0.9% African American, 0.3% Asian and less than 0.1% Hawaiian students.

Escanaba Junior-Senior High School had the highest enrollment among Delta County's 16 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 1,089 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
Escanaba Junior-Senior High School	1,091	1,089	-0.2%
Gladstone Area High School	445	472	6.1%
Escanaba Upper Elementary School	441	426	-3.4%
James T. Jones Elementary School	365	355	-2.7%
Gladstone Area Middle School	329	346	5.2%
Cameron Elementary School	339	321	-5.3%
Lemmer Elementary School	287	296	3.1%
Tri-Township School	253	243	-4%
Mid Peninsula School	217	220	1.4%
Webster Kindergarten Center	226	215	-4.9%
Big Bay De Noc School	208	192	-7.7%
Escanaba Student Success Center	87	105	20.7%
Learning Center	86	85	-1.2%
Bay Pines Center	28	29	3.6%