Tri-City Sun

There were 281 Asian students enrolled in Saginaw County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 2.9% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Saginaw County welcomed 25,141 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, Asian students comprised 1.1% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 71 schools in Saginaw County, Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy recorded the largest enrollment of Asian students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 57 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.

School name	% of Asian students enrolment	Total enrollment
Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy	15.2%	374
Handley School	13%	370
Hemmeter Elementary School	6.6%	331
Heritage High School	4%	1,313
Career Opportunities Center	3.2%	31
Arrowwood Elementary School	2.9%	445
White Pine Middle School	2%	1,019
Sherwood Elementary School	1.9%	531
Weiss Elementary School	1.7%	357
Swan Valley High School	1.4%	504
E. F. Rittmueller Middle School	1.4%	368
Freeland Learning Center	1%	295
Swan Valley Middle School	1%	408
Lorenz C. List School	1%	479
Mackinaw High School	0.7%	138
St. Charles Elementary School	0.6%	317
M. G. Millet Learning Center	0.5%	191
Chesaning Middle School	0.5%	584
Martin G. Atkins Elementary School	0.5%	381
Chester F. Miller School	0.4%	247
Kempton Elementary School	0.4%	279
Birch Run High School	0.4%	538
Frankenmuth High School	0.4%	504
Bridgeport-Spaulding Middle School-Schrah	0.3%	379
Chesaning Union High School	0.3%	381
Freeland Elementary School	0.3%	755
Big Rock Elementary School	0.3%	393
Westdale Elementary School	0.3%	313
Freeland Middle School/High School	0.3%	897
Thompson Middle School	0.2%	585
Carrollton Elementary School	0.2%	662
North Elementary School	0.1%	682
St. Charles Virtual School	0%	60
Carrollton Middle School	0%	344
Herig School	0%	282
Shields Elementary School	0%	447
Francis Reh PSA	0%	505
Saginaw Covenant Academy	0%	228
Bridgeport High School	0%	501
Arthur Hill High School	0%	981
Carrollton High School	0%	431
Stone School	0%	273
Saginaw Preparatory Academy	0%	376
Jessie Loomis School	0%	308
Thomas White School	0%	187
Zilwaukee K-8 School	0%	194
Hemlock Middle School	0%	350
K. C. Ling Elementary School	0%	365
Marshall Greene Middle School	0%	548
St. Charles Community Middle-High School	0%	315
The Success Academy	0%	168
Hemlock High School	0%	341
Hemlock Elementary School	0%	129
Hemlock Alternative Education	0%	54
Jessie Rouse School	0%	230
Swan Valley Adult and Alternative Education	0%	29
Omni High School	0%	125
International Academy of Saginaw	0%	74
Birch Run Progressive High School	0%	38
Chesaning Union Schools Alternative Education	0%	19
Merrill Middle School	0%	97
Arthur Eddy Academy	0%	232
Saginaw ISD Transitions Center	0%	128
Merrill High School	0%	165
Merrill Elementary School	0%	196
Saginaw County Juvenile Center	0%	20
Saginaw Correctional Facility	0%	11
Michael J. McGivney	0%	3
North Saginaw Charter Academy	0%	679
Merrill Park Elementary School	0%	267
Robert B. Havens Elementary School	0%	390