Holland Reporter

West Ottawa Public School District had the highest enrollment among Ottawa County districts, welcoming 6,757 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, 51.4% of them were boys, and 48.6% were girls.

The most represented ethnicity among West Ottawa Public School District students was Hispanic, accounting for 44.9% of the student population.

Among the 17 districts in Ottawa County, Hudsonville Public School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 6,709 students, while Zeeland Public Schools welcomed 5,788 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

West Ottawa Public School District roughly covers schools within Ottawa County, with its main office in Holland.

In the previous school year, Hudsonville Public School District had the highest number of students among Ottawa 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.

District	City (Main Office)	Total Enrollment
West Ottawa Public School District	Holland	6,757
Hudsonville Public School District	Hudsonville	6,709
Zeeland Public Schools	Zeeland	5,788
Grand Haven Area Public Schools	Grand Haven	5,202
Jenison Public Schools	Jenison	5,165
Holland City School District	Holland	2,878
Allendale Public Schools	Allendale	2,568
Coopersville Area Public School District	Coopersville	2,487
Spring Lake Public Schools	Spring Lake	2,275
Ottawa Area ISD	Holland	2,099
Black River Public School	Holland	964
Eagle Crest Charter Academy	Holland	561
Vanderbilt Charter Academy	Holland	401
West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics	Spring Lake	371
Innocademy	Zeeland	268
Walden Green Montessori	Spring Lake	251
ICademy Global	Zeeland	197