West Central Michigan News

Big Rapids High School had the largest enrollment among Mecosta County schools, welcoming 755 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, 50.7% of them were boys, and 49.3% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 88.9% of the Big Rapids High School total enrollment.

Among the 16 schools in Mecosta County, Big Rapids Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 644 students, while Chippewa Hills Intermediate School welcomed 503 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Big Rapids High School is part of Big Rapids Public Schools, which roughly covers schools within Mecosta County, with its main office in Big Rapids.

In the previous school year, Big Rapids High School also had the largest number of students among Mecosta 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
Big Rapids High School	Big Rapids	755
Big Rapids Middle School	Big Rapids	644
Chippewa Hills Intermediate School	Remus	503
Chippewa Hills High School	Remus	463
Morley Stanwood Elementary School	Morley	437
Riverview Elementary School	Big Rapids	346
Brookside Elementary School	Big Rapids	336
Morley Stanwood High School	Morley	287
Mecosta Elementary School	Mecosta	256
Morley Stanwood Middle School	Morley	234
Barryton Elementary School	Barryton	204
Mecosta-Osceola Education Center	Big Rapids	144
Crossroads Charter Academy (7-12)	Big Rapids	117
Big Rapids Virtual School	Big Rapids	115
Crossroads Charter Academy (K-6)	Big Rapids	103
Mosaic School	Remus	89