West Central Michigan News

Foster School had the largest enrollment among Mason County schools, welcoming 911 students during the 2024-25 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 51.5% of them were boys, and 48.5% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 79.4% of the Foster School total enrollment.

Among the 12 schools in Mason County, Ludington High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 687 students, while O. J. DeJonge Middle School welcomed 447 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 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.

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	City	Total School Enrollment
Foster School	Ludington	911
Ludington High School	Ludington	687
O. J. DeJonge Middle School	Ludington	447
Mason County Central High School	Scottville	413
Mason County Central Middle School	Scottville	276
Mason County Central Upper Elementary School	Scottville	258
Scottville Elementary School	Scottville	211
Mason County Eastern Elementary School	Custer	181
Mason County Eastern Junior High/High School	Custer	176
Developmental Classrooms - West Shore ESD	Ludington	128
Gateway to Success Academy	Scottville	124
Academy of Science Math and Technology Early College High School	Ludington	45