Arenac County Education: 1,760 white students were enrolled in schools in 2024-25 school year

Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/

By Tri-City Sun

Aug 1, 2025

There were 1,760 white students enrolled in Arenac County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 1% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Arenac County welcomed 1,896 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, white students comprised 92.8% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the six schools in Arenac County, Standish-Sterling Central Junior-Senior High School recorded the largest enrollment of white students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 630 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.

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.

Ethnicities in Arenac County in 2024-25 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Arenac County Schools During 2024-25 School Year

School name	% of white students enrolment	Total enrollment
Standish-Sterling Central Junior-Senior High School	95.5%	660
Standish-Sterling Central Elementary School	94.5%	654
Sterling Elementary School	91.1%	168
Au Gres-Sims Elementary School	89.8%	167
Au Gres-Sims High School	85.3%	143
Au Gres-Sims Middle School	83.7%	104