North Michigan News

There were 6,522 students enrolled in Manistee County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 7% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Girls made up 50.4% of the county student body, while the other 49.6% were boys.

Data also showed that white students made up 66.2% of the student body, the highest percentage in Manistee County schools, followed by 16% African American, 8.6% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 1.3% American Indian, 1% Asian and less than 0.1% Hawaiian students.

Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy had the highest enrollment among Manistee County's 14 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 3,936 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
Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy	3,519	3,936	11.8%
Manistee Middle High School	669	685	2.4%
Onekama Consolidated Schools	281	294	4.6%
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School	281	292	3.9%
KND Elementary School	281	289	2.8%
John F. Kennedy Elementary School	272	270	-0.7%
Bear Lake Elementary School	166	147	-11.4%
Brethren High School	169	140	-17.2%
Bear Lake High School	118	133	12.7%
Betsie Valley School	140	131	-6.4%
Brethren Middle School	81	85	4.9%
Casman Alternative Academy	64	65	1.6%
Manistee ISD Center Programs	55	55	0%