North Michigan News

Elk Rapids High School had the largest enrollment among Antrim County schools, welcoming 360 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, 53.3% of them were boys, and 46.7% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 91.4% of the Elk Rapids High School total enrollment.

Among the 13 schools in Antrim County, Lakeland Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 289 students, while Mancelona Elementary School welcomed 288 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Elk Rapids High School also had the largest number of students among Antrim 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
Elk Rapids High School	Elk Rapids	360
Lakeland Elementary School	Elk Rapids	289
Mancelona Elementary School	Mancelona	288
Cherryland Middle School	Elk Rapids	277
Mancelona High School	Mancelona	243
Mancelona Middle School	Mancelona	242
Ellsworth Community School	Ellsworth	228
Central Lake Public Schools	Central Lake	223
North Central Academy Campus	Mancelona	174
Bellaire Middle-High School	Bellaire	140
John R. Rodger Elementary School	Bellaire	119
Alba School	Elmira	96
Sunrise Academy	Elk Rapids	21