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/
Cass Technical High School welcomed the largest number of 9th-grade students in the state, registering 779 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 9th-grade Students Enrolled | % of Student Body | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 22,088 | 8.6% | 257,484 |
| Oakland County | 13,060 | 7.7% | 170,705 |
| Macomb County | 8,849 | 7.6% | 116,029 |
| Kent County | 7,663 | 7.8% | 98,051 |
| Genesee County | 5,001 | 8.6% | 58,109 |
| Ottawa County | 3,432 | 8% | 42,756 |
| Ingham County | 3,369 | 8.8% | 38,175 |
| Washtenaw County | 3,240 | 7.6% | 42,913 |
| Kalamazoo County | 2,904 | 8.5% | 34,197 |
| Saginaw County | 2,203 | 8.7% | 25,427 |
| Muskegon County | 2,163 | 8.5% | 25,408 |
| Berrien County | 1,875 | 8.8% | 21,400 |
| St. Clair County | 1,871 | 8.9% | 21,066 |
| Livingston County | 1,764 | 7.2% | 24,546 |
| Jackson County | 1,733 | 7.9% | 21,917 |
| Monroe County | 1,724 | 8.4% | 20,511 |
| Calhoun County | 1,588 | 8.3% | 19,150 |
| Eaton County | 1,440 | 8.8% | 16,406 |
| Allegan County | 1,391 | 8% | 17,403 |
| Montcalm County | 1,371 | 12.9% | 10,596 |
| Van Buren County | 1,363 | 9.1% | 14,926 |
| Ionia County | 1,280 | 12.3% | 10,421 |
| Bay County | 1,258 | 9.9% | 12,733 |
| Lenawee County | 1,209 | 8.5% | 14,206 |
| Midland County | 966 | 8.4% | 11,437 |
| Grand Traverse County | 909 | 7.5% | 12,169 |
| Clinton County | 878 | 7.8% | 11,227 |
| Wexford County | 844 | 10.7% | 7,917 |
| St. Joseph County | 793 | 8% | 9,893 |
| Lapeer County | 786 | 7% | 11,163 |
| Shiawassee County | 773 | 7.5% | 10,357 |
| Barry County | 658 | 8.1% | 8,086 |
| Marquette County | 636 | 8.1% | 7,829 |
| Manistee County | 582 | 9.5% | 6,096 |
| Tuscola County | 573 | 8.6% | 6,631 |
| Isabella County | 571 | 8.4% | 6,817 |
| Cass County | 546 | 8.5% | 6,457 |
| Newaygo County | 545 | 7.9% | 6,931 |
| Branch County | 545 | 8.4% | 6,505 |
| Sanilac County | 498 | 9% | 5,531 |
| Mecosta County | 464 | 9.1% | 5,079 |
| Houghton County | 441 | 8.4% | 5,281 |
| Gratiot County | 411 | 8.1% | 5,062 |
| Hillsdale County | 405 | 7.7% | 5,277 |
| Chippewa County | 405 | 8.8% | 4,590 |
| Alpena County | 391 | 10.6% | 3,675 |
| Huron County | 352 | 8.1% | 4,346 |
| Osceola County | 349 | 9.5% | 3,676 |
| Emmet County | 343 | 8.4% | 4,090 |
| Delta County | 329 | 7.5% | 4,402 |
| Mason County | 321 | 8.3% | 3,857 |
| Dickinson County | 303 | 8.3% | 3,662 |
| Clare County | 302 | 7.8% | 3,894 |
| Menominee County | 302 | 8.1% | 3,715 |
| Iosco County | 301 | 8.4% | 3,576 |
| Otsego County | 275 | 8% | 3,426 |
| Roscommon County | 259 | 9.3% | 2,798 |
| Charlevoix County | 247 | 7.2% | 3,407 |
| Antrim County | 240 | 8.7% | 2,767 |
| Oceana County | 220 | 8.2% | 2,679 |
| Cheboygan County | 209 | 8.6% | 2,435 |
| Ogemaw County | 207 | 10.5% | 1,969 |
| Gladwin County | 193 | 7.6% | 2,533 |
| Missaukee County | 186 | 8.3% | 2,239 |
| Kalkaska County | 182 | 10.3% | 1,763 |
| Leelanau County | 174 | 9.2% | 1,893 |
| Arenac County | 147 | 7.8% | 1,892 |
| Crawford County | 138 | 8.3% | 1,656 |
| Wayne | 138 | 9.2% | 1,505 |
| Benzie County | 121 | 7.9% | 1,524 |
| Gogebic County | 114 | 7.5% | 1,514 |
| Iron County | 107 | 8.3% | 1,290 |
| Alger County | 104 | 11.1% | 938 |
| Presque Isle County | 103 | 8.4% | 1,224 |
| Ingham | 88 | 67.7% | 130 |
| Mackinac County | 74 | 6.5% | 1,133 |
| Baraga County | 70 | 8.5% | 822 |
| Schoolcraft County | 68 | 9.6% | 708 |
| Alcona County | 66 | 9.7% | 683 |
| Montmorency County | 62 | 7.6% | 814 |
| Oscoda County | 54 | 6.8% | 789 |
| Lake County | 42 | 10% | 421 |
| Luce County | 40 | 8.5% | 468 |
| Ontonagon County | 27 | 5.8% | 467 |
| Muskegon | 15 | 65.2% | 23 |
| Gratiot | 9 | 34.6% | 26 |
| Keweenaw County | 5 | 6.7% | 75 |
| Washtenaw | 2 | 1.4% | 140 |
| Ottawa | 0 | 0% | 618 |
| Mecosta | 0 | 0% | 215 |
| Kent | 0 | 0% | 66 |
| Oceana | 0 | 0% | 55 |
| Lenawee | 0 | 0% | 22 |
| Eaton | 0 | 0% | 7 |
| Oakland | 0 | 0% | 5 |
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