North Michigan News

Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan had the largest enrollment among Wexford County schools, welcoming 3,455 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, 50.3% of them were girls, and 49.7% were boys.

The most represented ethnicity among Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan students was white, accounting for 48.3% of the student population.

Among the 14 schools in Wexford County, Cadillac Senior High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 903 students, while Mackinaw Trail Middle School welcomed 683 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan is part of Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan, which roughly covers schools within Wexford County, with its main office in Mesick.

In the previous school year, Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan also had the largest number of students among Wexford 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
Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan	Mesick	3,455
Cadillac Senior High School	Cadillac	903
Mackinaw Trail Middle School	Cadillac	683
Franklin Elementary School	Cadillac	563
Buckley Community Schools	Buckley	488
Lincoln Elementary School	Cadillac	480
Manton Consolidated Elementary School	Manton	345
Manton Consolidated Middle School	Manton	305
Manton Consolidated High School	Manton	289
Mesick Consolidated Junior/Senior High School	Mesick	276
Forest View Elementary School	Boon	257
Floyd M. Jewett Elementary School	Mesick	256
Cadillac Innovation High School	Cadillac	164
Wexford-Missaukee ISD Special Education	Cadillac	100