Tri-City Sun

Alma Senior High School had the largest enrollment among Gratiot County schools, welcoming 552 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, 53.4% of them were boys, and 46.6% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 84.8% of the Alma Senior High School total enrollment.

Among the 22 schools in Gratiot County, Donald L. Pavlik Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 457 students, while Ithaca High School welcomed 442 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Alma Senior High School is part of Alma Public Schools, which roughly covers schools within Gratiot County, with its main office in Alma.

In the previous school year, Alma Senior High School also had the largest number of students among Gratiot 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
Alma Senior High School	Alma	552
Donald L. Pavlik Middle School	Alma	457
Ithaca High School	Ithaca	442
Hillcrest Elementary School	Alma	400
Breckenridge Elementary School	Breckenridge	324
Breckenridge High School	Breckenridge	310
North Elementary School	Ithaca	295
Pine Avenue Elementary School	Alma	265
Fulton Elementary School	Middleton	261
St. Louis High School	St. Louis	244
South Elementary School	Ithaca	234
T. S. Nurnberger Middle School	St. Louis	217
Eugene M. Nikkari Elementary School	St. Louis	215
Carrie Knause Early Childhood Learning Center	St. Louis	206
Fulton High School	Middleton	173
Luce Road Elementary School	Alma	141
Fulton Middle School	Middleton	119
Ashley Elementary School	Ashley	60
Ashley Middle School	Ashley	54
Ashley High School	Ashley	48
St. Louis Correctional Facility	St. Louis	13
Central Michigan Correctional Facility	St. Louis	1