Tri-City Sun

There were 12,540 students enrolled in Bay County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 1.5% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Boys made up 51.3% of the county student body, while the other 48.7% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 79.3% of the student body, the highest percentage in Bay County schools, followed by 10.3% Hispanic, 6.4% multiracial, 3% African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian and less than 0.1% Hawaiian students.

Bay City Western High School had the highest enrollment among Bay County's 36 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 1,009 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.

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	Total enrollment in 2023-24	Total enrollment in 2024-25	% change
Bay City Western High School	1,033	1,009	-2.3%
Bay City Central High School	989	921	-6.9%
John Glenn High School	893	864	-3.2%
Western Middle School	714	681	-4.6%
Christa McAuliffe Middle School	650	608	-6.5%
Handy Middle School	618	598	-3.2%
Garber High School	511	489	-4.3%
Cramer Junior High School	456	484	6.1%
Auburn Elementary School	478	474	-0.8%
Kolb Elementary School	454	451	-0.7%
Hampton Elementary School	415	399	-3.9%
McAlear-Sawden Elementary School	359	378	5.3%
Bay City Academy Farragut Campus	363	373	2.8%
Pinconning High School	385	370	-3.9%
Washington Elementary School	390	362	-7.2%
Bangor West Central School	352	361	2.6%
Pinconning Central Elementary School	382	359	-6%
Bangor Lincoln School	337	344	2.1%
Bangor Central School	336	332	-1.2%
Verellen Elementary School	293	314	7.2%
MacGregor Elementary School	291	290	-0.3%
State Street Academy	259	286	10.4%
MacKensen Elementary School	248	265	6.9%
Pinconning Middle School	280	244	-12.9%
W. R. Bush Elementary School	242	236	-2.5%
Great Lakes Bay Early College	185	200	8.1%
Bangor Township Virtual School	156	182	16.7%
Bay-Arenac Community High School	188	180	-4.3%
Bay City Eastern High School	131	137	4.6%
Linwood Elementary School	109	122	11.9%
Intermediate School District Local Programs	97	94	-3.1%
Bay City Adult Education CTP	60	65	8.3%
LLC - Bay Campus	68	57	-16.2%
Detention Center	11	11	0%