Tri-City Sun

There were 5,031 students enrolled in Gratiot County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 0.6% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Boys made up 51.9% of the county student body, while the other 48.1% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 85.9% of the student body, the highest percentage in Gratiot County schools, followed by 9.9% Hispanic, 2.7% multiracial, 0.8% African American, 0.4% American Indian, 0.2% Asian and less than 0.1% Hawaiian students.

Alma Senior High School had the highest enrollment among Gratiot County's 24 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 552 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
Alma Senior High School	549	552	0.5%
Donald L. Pavlik Middle School	473	457	-3.4%
Ithaca High School	454	442	-2.6%
Hillcrest Elementary School	409	400	-2.2%
Breckenridge Elementary School	283	324	14.5%
Breckenridge High School	309	310	0.3%
North Elementary School	307	295	-3.9%
Pine Avenue Elementary School	265	265	0%
Fulton Elementary School	258	261	1.2%
St. Louis High School	281	244	-13.2%
South Elementary School	232	234	0.9%
T. S. Nurnberger Middle School	201	217	8%
Eugene M. Nikkari Elementary School	200	215	7.5%
Carrie Knause Early Childhood Learning Center	215	206	-4.2%
Fulton High School	154	173	12.3%
Luce Road Elementary School	148	141	-4.7%
Fulton Middle School	132	119	-9.8%
Ashley Elementary School	73	60	-17.8%
Ashley Middle School	58	54	-6.9%
Ashley High School	55	48	-12.7%
St. Louis Correctional Facility	6	13	116.7%
Central Michigan Correctional Facility	--	1	--