West Central Michigan News

Foster School had the largest enrollment among Mason County schools, welcoming 902 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 51.6% of them were boys, and 48.4% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 80.5% of the Foster School total enrollment.

Among the 12 schools in Mason County, Ludington High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 684 students, while O. J. DeJonge Middle School welcomed 477 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Foster School is part of Ludington Area School District, which roughly covers schools within Mason County, with its main office in Ludington.

In the previous school year, Foster School also had the largest number of students among Mason County schools.

Overall student enrollment in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels, with white students experiencing the largest decline at 6.5%.

Academic performance has also suffered, with the state's average NAEP score dropping by 6.5 points and ethnic achievement gaps have widened. Black and Hispanic students' average math proficiency dropped by 7% in 2022, to 13.5% and 28.2%, respectively.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Foster School	Ludington	902
Ludington High School	Ludington	684
O. J. DeJonge Middle School	Ludington	477
Mason County Central High School	Scottville	398
Mason County Central Middle School	Scottville	273
Mason County Central Upper Elementary School	Scottville	253
Scottville Elementary School	Scottville	232
Mason County Eastern Elementary School	Custer	184
Mason County Eastern Junior High/High School	Custer	157
Gateway to Success Academy	Scottville	124
Developmental Classrooms - West Shore ESD	Ludington	118
Academy of Science Math and Technology Early College High School	Ludington	55