Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/
Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/
Northwest Early Elementary School welcomed the largest number of kindergarten students in the state, registering 350 students.
Within Michigan schools, most students were enrolled in 9th-grade, with the smallest amount of students seen in pre-kindergarten.
Statewide, Wayne County was the county with the highest enrollment numbers, welcoming 257,484 students in the 2023-24 school year.
Overall student enrollment in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels, with white students experiencing the largest decline at 6.5%.
Academic performance has also suffered, with the state's average NAEP score dropping by 6.5 points and ethnic achievement gaps widening. Black and Hispanic students' average math proficiency dropped by 7% in 2022, to 13.5% and 28.2%, respectively.
As of July 2024, Michigan Governor Whitmer has enacted the new education budget for 2025 into law. The new budget totals $23.4 billion, a decrease of approximately $900 million from the 2024 budget of $24.3 billion. Of the new funding, $20.6 billion will be allocated to K-12 schools, compared to $21.5 billion allocated for K-12 schools this year.
However, the new budget has raised concerns among school superintendents and educators. "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.
| County | # of Kindergarten Students Enrolled | % of Student Body | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 20,088 | 7.8% | 257,484 |
| Oakland County | 13,181 | 7.7% | 170,705 |
| Macomb County | 8,939 | 7.7% | 116,029 |
| Kent County | 8,433 | 8.6% | 98,051 |
| Genesee County | 4,632 | 8% | 58,109 |
| Washtenaw County | 3,841 | 9% | 42,913 |
| Ottawa County | 3,745 | 8.8% | 42,756 |
| Ingham County | 2,912 | 7.6% | 38,175 |
| Kalamazoo County | 2,851 | 8.3% | 34,197 |
| Muskegon County | 2,258 | 8.9% | 25,408 |
| Saginaw County | 2,135 | 8.4% | 25,427 |
| Livingston County | 2,026 | 8.3% | 24,546 |
| Jackson County | 1,965 | 9% | 21,917 |
| Berrien County | 1,776 | 8.3% | 21,400 |
| Monroe County | 1,649 | 8% | 20,511 |
| St. Clair County | 1,540 | 7.3% | 21,066 |
| Calhoun County | 1,513 | 7.9% | 19,150 |
| Allegan County | 1,487 | 8.5% | 17,403 |
| Lenawee County | 1,226 | 8.6% | 14,206 |
| Eaton County | 1,196 | 7.3% | 16,406 |
| Van Buren County | 1,140 | 7.6% | 14,926 |
| Grand Traverse County | 1,037 | 8.5% | 12,169 |
| Lapeer County | 1,026 | 9.2% | 11,163 |
| Shiawassee County | 942 | 9.1% | 10,357 |
| Midland County | 941 | 8.2% | 11,437 |
| Bay County | 921 | 7.2% | 12,733 |
| Barry County | 871 | 10.8% | 8,086 |
| St. Joseph County | 807 | 8.2% | 9,893 |
| Clinton County | 791 | 7% | 11,227 |
| Ionia County | 741 | 7.1% | 10,421 |
| Marquette County | 683 | 8.7% | 7,829 |
| Isabella County | 610 | 8.9% | 6,817 |
| Montcalm County | 583 | 5.5% | 10,596 |
| Branch County | 574 | 8.8% | 6,505 |
| Tuscola County | 572 | 8.6% | 6,631 |
| Wexford County | 568 | 7.2% | 7,917 |
| Hillsdale County | 496 | 9.4% | 5,277 |
| Newaygo County | 483 | 7% | 6,931 |
| Cass County | 482 | 7.5% | 6,457 |
| Houghton County | 447 | 8.5% | 5,281 |
| Delta County | 427 | 9.7% | 4,402 |
| Sanilac County | 424 | 7.7% | 5,531 |
| Gratiot County | 417 | 8.2% | 5,062 |
| Manistee County | 385 | 6.3% | 6,096 |
| Dickinson County | 359 | 9.8% | 3,662 |
| Huron County | 346 | 8% | 4,346 |
| Chippewa County | 331 | 7.2% | 4,590 |
| Clare County | 297 | 7.6% | 3,894 |
| Iosco County | 297 | 8.3% | 3,576 |
| Charlevoix County | 282 | 8.3% | 3,407 |
| Alpena County | 278 | 7.6% | 3,675 |
| Emmet County | 277 | 6.8% | 4,090 |
| Mason County | 277 | 7.2% | 3,857 |
| Osceola County | 273 | 7.4% | 3,676 |
| Menominee County | 256 | 6.9% | 3,715 |
| Gladwin County | 233 | 9.2% | 2,533 |
| Otsego County | 228 | 6.7% | 3,426 |
| Mecosta | 215 | 100% | 215 |
| Arenac County | 206 | 10.9% | 1,892 |
| Antrim County | 197 | 7.1% | 2,767 |
| Mecosta County | 193 | 3.8% | 5,079 |
| Cheboygan County | 192 | 7.9% | 2,435 |
| Roscommon County | 187 | 6.7% | 2,798 |
| Missaukee County | 168 | 7.5% | 2,239 |
| Ogemaw County | 152 | 7.7% | 1,969 |
| Oceana County | 148 | 5.5% | 2,679 |
| Leelanau County | 148 | 7.8% | 1,893 |
| Wayne | 147 | 9.8% | 1,505 |
| Crawford County | 139 | 8.4% | 1,656 |
| Gogebic County | 115 | 7.6% | 1,514 |
| Iron County | 106 | 8.2% | 1,290 |
| Kalkaska County | 103 | 5.8% | 1,763 |
| Benzie County | 100 | 6.6% | 1,524 |
| Presque Isle County | 85 | 6.9% | 1,224 |
| Mackinac County | 81 | 7.1% | 1,133 |
| Baraga County | 78 | 9.5% | 822 |
| Montmorency County | 77 | 9.5% | 814 |
| Alger County | 70 | 7.5% | 938 |
| Oscoda County | 64 | 8.1% | 789 |
| Alcona County | 60 | 8.8% | 683 |
| Schoolcraft County | 55 | 7.8% | 708 |
| Lake County | 33 | 7.8% | 421 |
| Luce County | 32 | 6.8% | 468 |
| Ontonagon County | 30 | 6.4% | 467 |
| Kent | 22 | 33.3% | 66 |
| Lenawee | 22 | 100% | 22 |
| Oceana | 18 | 32.7% | 55 |
| Ottawa | 0 | 0% | 618 |
| Washtenaw | 0 | 0% | 140 |
| Ingham | 0 | 0% | 130 |
| Keweenaw County | 0 | 0% | 75 |
| Gratiot | 0 | 0% | 26 |
| Muskegon | 0 | 0% | 23 |
| Eaton | 0 | 0% | 7 |
| Oakland | 0 | 0% | 5 |
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