Holland Reporter

There were 36 Hawaiian students enrolled in Ottawa County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 12.2% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Ottawa County welcomed 42,379 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, Hawaiian students comprised 0.1% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 98 schools in Ottawa County, Zeeland West High School and Pine Creek Elementary School recorded the largest enrollment of Hawaiian students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of five 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.

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	% of Hawaiian students enrolment	Total enrollment
Venture Academy	1.2%	82
Pine Creek Elementary School	1.2%	418
Roerink-Knoll Education Center	0.9%	212
Zeeland Quest	0.7%	144
New Groningen School	0.6%	512
West	0.5%	413
Zeeland West High School	0.5%	975
Waukazoo Elementary School	0.4%	466
Rosy Mound School	0.4%	243
Forest Grove Elementary School	0.4%	254
Park Elemementary School	0.4%	260
Ferry School	0.4%	232
Griffin Elementary School	0.3%	308
South Elementary School	0.3%	391
Woodside Elementary School	0.2%	431
Quincy Elementary School	0.2%	455
Bauerwood School	0.2%	480
Grand Haven High School	0.1%	1,630
Hudsonville High School	0.1%	1,995
Coopersville High School	0.1%	860
Lakeshore Middle School	0.1%	733
Riley Street Middle School	0.1%	688
Holland High School	0.1%	967
Spring Lake Middle School	0%	345
Roosevelt Elementary School	0%	261
West Ottawa High School Campus	0%	2,187
West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics	0%	371
Lakeshore Elementary School	0%	440
Great Lakes Elementary School	0%	426
Woodbridge Elementary School	0%	361
Harbor Lights Middle School	0%	903
Innocademy	0%	268
Baldwin Street Middle School	0%	610
Jamestown Upper Elementary School	0%	327
Zeeland East High School	0%	935
Coopersville East Elementary School	0%	315
Jefferson	0%	254
Coopersville West Early Childhood Center	0%	352
Macatawa Bay Middle School	0%	632
Allendale Early Childhood Center	0%	279
Black River Public School Elementary	0%	395
Jenison International Academy	0%	159
ICademy Global	0%	197
Lincoln Elementary School	0%	361
Jeffers Elementary School	0%	379
Allendale High School	0%	737
Vanderbilt Charter Academy	0%	401
Evergreen Elementary School	0%	573
Black River Public School Middle-High	0%	569
Alward Elementary School	0%	435
Bauer Elementary School	0%	329
Sandy Hill School	0%	402
Jenison Innovation Academy Elementary School	0%	83
Cityside Middle School	0%	771
Lake Hills Elementary School	0%	273
Spring Lake Intermediate School	0%	330
West Ottawa Virtual Academy	0%	40
Grand Haven Cyber School	0%	106
New Options High School	0%	51
Jenison Junior High School	0%	754
Georgetown Elementary School	0%	450
Walden Green Montessori	0%	251
Holmes Elementary School	0%	409
Sheldon Pines School	0%	23
Spring Lake High School	0%	795
Jenison High School	0%	1,506
Rosewood School	0%	481
Robinson School	0%	223
Holland Middle School	0%	605
Holland Heights	0%	247
Coopersville Middle School	0%	584
Spring Lake Alternative Education	0%	13
Central High School	0%	89
Adams Elementary School	0%	343
CAPS Academy	0%	22
Lighthouse Academy Juvenile Justice Institute	0%	14
Career Development School	0%	6
Sheldon Woods Elementary School	0%	145
Dunes Alternative High School	0%	81
Peach Plains School	0%	328
Jamestown Lower Elementary School	0%	289
Elementary Puente Spanish Immersion	0%	380
Holland Language Academy at Van Raalte	0%	307
Lighthouse Academy Ottawa Juvenile Detention Center	0%	17
Eagle Crest Charter Academy	0%	561
Ottawa Area Center	0%	104
Oakwood Intermediate School	0%	347
Coopersville South Elementary School	0%	337
Holland Virtual Technology High School	0%	48
Mary A. White School	0%	260
North Holland Elementary School	0%	267
Bursley School	0%	404
Allendale Middle School	0%	564
Jenison Public Schools Early Childhood Center	0%	189
Pinewood School	0%	320
Creekside Middle School	0%	577
Lakewood Elementary School	0%	293
White Pines Intermediate School	0%	740