North Michigan News

Richardson Elementary School had the largest enrollment among Iosco County schools, welcoming 711 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, 52% of them were girls, and 48% were boys.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 84.7% of the Richardson Elementary School total enrollment.

Among the 10 schools in Iosco County, Oscoda Area High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 488 students, while Clara B. Bolen Elementary School welcomed 433 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Richardson Elementary School is part of Oscoda Area Schools, which roughly covers schools within Iosco County, with its main office in Oscoda.

In the previous school year, Richardson Elementary School also had the largest number of students among Iosco 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
Richardson Elementary School	Oscoda	711
Oscoda Area High School	Oscoda	488
Clara B. Bolen Elementary School	Tawas City	433
Tawas Area High School	Tawas City	351
Hale Area School	Hale	347
Whittemore-Prescott Area Elementary School	Whittemore	347
Tawas Area Middle School	Tawas City	340
Whittemore-Prescott Junior-Senior High School	Whittemore	260
Alternative Educational Academy of Iosco County	Tawas City	172
Iosco RESA Special Education	Tawas City	50