North Michigan News

Petoskey High School had the largest enrollment among Emmet County schools, welcoming 862 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, 53.2% of them were boys, and 46.8% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 86.3% of the Petoskey High School total enrollment.

Among the 14 schools in Emmet County, Petoskey Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 561 students, while Harbor Springs High School welcomed 260 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

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

In the previous school year, Petoskey High School also had the largest number of students among Emmet 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
Petoskey High School	Petoskey	862
Petoskey Middle School	Petoskey	561
Harbor Springs High School	Harbor Spgs	260
Blackbird Elementary School	Harbor Springs	258
Pellston Middle/High School	Pellston	258
Sheridan School	Petoskey	252
Ottawa Elementary School	Petoskey	250
Lincoln School	Petoskey	237
Central Elementary School	Petoskey	234
Harbor Springs Middle School	Harbor Springs	233
Alanson Public School	Alanson	223
Pellston Elementary School	Pellston	220
Mackinaw City K-12 School	Mackinaw City	147
Concord Academy Petoskey	Petoskey	101