West Central Michigan News

There were 6,793 students enrolled in Newaygo County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 2% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Boys made up 51% of the county student body, while the other 49% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 83.6% of the student body, the highest percentage in Newaygo County schools, followed by 11.1% Hispanic, 3.1% multiracial, 1.1% African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian and 0.1% Hawaiian students.

Newaygo Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Newaygo County's 23 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 635 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
Newaygo Elementary School	582	635	9.1%
Fremont High School	640	595	-7%
Newaygo Middle School	461	472	2.4%
Newaygo High School	469	460	-1.9%
Grant High School	493	457	-7.3%
Fremont Middle School	435	456	4.8%
Daisy Brook Elementary School	415	446	7.5%
Grant Middle School	454	445	-2%
White Cloud Elementary School	421	423	0.5%
Pathfinder Elementary School	457	418	-8.5%
Patricia St. Clair Elementary School	355	354	-0.3%
Grant Elementary School	339	332	-2.1%
White Cloud High School	280	274	-2.1%
Hesperia High School	260	247	-5%
White Cloud Junior High School	211	211	0%
David C. Outwin Middle School	188	198	5.3%
Grant Primary Center	225	182	-19.1%
Quest High School	150	129	-14%
Education and Activity Center	38	36	-5.3%
Grant Learning Center	38	22	-42.1%
Big Jackson Public School	20	1	-95%