Holland Reporter

Plainwell High School had the largest enrollment among Allegan County schools, welcoming 828 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% of them were girls, and 50% were boys.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 84.9% of the Plainwell High School total enrollment.

Among the 53 schools in Allegan County, Wayland High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 800 students, while Hamilton High School welcomed 793 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Plainwell High School is part of Plainwell Community Schools, which roughly covers schools within Allegan County, with its main office in Plainwell.

In the previous school year, Wayland High School had the largest number of students among Allegan 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
Plainwell High School	Plainwell	828
Wayland High School	Wayland	800
Hamilton High School	Hamilton	793
Otsego High School	Otsego	708
Hamilton Middle School	Hamilton	707
Wayland Union Middle School	Wayland	611
Plainwell Middle School	Plainwell	569
Allegan High School	Allegan	543
Otsego Middle School	Otsego	542
Fennville Elementary School	Fennville	503
Hopkins High School	Hopkins	477
Washington Street Elementary School	Otsego	448
Gilkey Elementary School	Plainwell	439
L. E. White Middle School	Allegan	427
Pine Street Elementary School	Wayland	413
Starr Elementary School	Plainwell	410
Hopkins Elementary School	Hopkins	393
Fennville Public High School	Fennville	383
Baseline Middle School	South Haven	377
Douglas Elementary School	Douglas	366
Hamilton Elementary School	Hamilton	359
Dix Street Elementary School	Otsego	357
Martin High School	Martin	330
Pine Trails Elementary School	Allegan	326
Hopkins Middle School	Hopkins	321
Dorr School	Dorr	311
Paris Ridge Elementary School	Caledonia	303
Robert D. Brandon Elementary School	Martin	299
Fennville Middle School	Fennville	293
Bentheim Elementary School	Hamilton	281
Bessie B. Baker School	Wayland	280
Dawson Elementary School	Allegan	278
Saugatuck High School	Saugatuck	267
RJ Steeby School	Wayland	256
North Shore Elementary School	South Haven	255
West Ward Elementary School	Allegan	247
Sycamore Elementary School	Dorr	224
Blue Star Elementary School	Holland	202
Saugatuck Middle School	Saugatuck	186
Hamilton Flex	Hamilton	172
Pullman Elementary School	Bloomingdale	165
Hillside Learning Behavior Center	Allegan	129
Allegan Alternative High School	Allegan	112
Innocademy Allegan Campus	Fennville	102
Renaissance High School	Plainwell	86
Allegan Online K-8	Allegan	73
Glenn Public School	Glenn	41
Career Connections Academy	Wayland	37
Pearl Alternative/Adult Education School	Fennville	35
Outlook Academy	Allegan	35
North Ward Elementary School	Allegan	29
Otsego West Campus High School	Otsego	19
Outlook Academy Youth Home Campus	Allegan	11