Tri-City Sun

Bay City Western High School had the largest enrollment among Bay County schools, welcoming 1,009 students during the 2024-25 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 54.4% of them were boys, and 45.6% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 89.3% of the Bay City Western High School total enrollment.

Among the 34 schools in Bay County, Bay City Central High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 921 students, while John Glenn High School welcomed 864 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Bay City Western High School is part of Bay City School District, which roughly covers schools within Bay County, with its main office in Bay City.

In the previous school year, Bay City Western High School also had the largest number of students among Bay County schools.

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	City	Total School Enrollment
Bay City Western High School	Auburn	1,009
Bay City Central High School	Bay City	921
John Glenn High School	Bay City	864
Western Middle School	Auburn	681
Christa McAuliffe Middle School	Bay City	608
Handy Middle School	Bay City	598
Garber High School	Essexville	489
Cramer Junior High School	Essexville	484
Auburn Elementary School	Auburn	474
Kolb Elementary School	Bay City	451
Hampton Elementary School	Bay City	399
McAlear-Sawden Elementary School	Bay City	378
Bay City Academy Farragut Campus	Bay City	373
Pinconning High School	Pinconning	370
Washington Elementary School	Bay City	362
Bangor West Central School	Bay City	361
Pinconning Central Elementary School	Pinconning	359
Bangor Lincoln School	Bay City	344
Bangor Central School	Bay City	332
Verellen Elementary School	Essexville	314
MacGregor Elementary School	Bay City	290
State Street Academy	Bay City	286
MacKensen Elementary School	Bay City	265
Pinconning Middle School	Pinconning	244
W. R. Bush Elementary School	Essexville	236
Great Lakes Bay Early College	Univ Ctr	200
Bangor Township Virtual School	Bay City	182
Bay-Arenac Community High School	Essexville	180
Bay City Eastern High School	Bay City	137
Linwood Elementary School	Linwood	122
Intermediate School District Local Programs	Bay City	94
Bay City Adult Education CTP	Bay City	65
LLC - Bay Campus	Essexville	57
Detention Center	Essexville	11