Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/
Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/
Boys made up 51.4% of the county student body, while the other 48.6% were girls.
Data also showed that white students made up 81.8% of the student body, the highest percentage in Allegan County schools, followed by 10.8% Hispanic, 4.9% multiracial, 1.5% African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% American Indian and less than 0.1% Hawaiian students.
Plainwell High School had the highest enrollment among Allegan County's 58 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 828 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainwell High School | 813 | 828 | 1.8% |
| Wayland High School | 814 | 800 | -1.7% |
| Hamilton High School | 808 | 793 | -1.9% |
| Otsego High School | 741 | 708 | -4.5% |
| Hamilton Middle School | 714 | 707 | -1% |
| Wayland Union Middle School | 617 | 611 | -1% |
| Plainwell Middle School | 587 | 569 | -3.1% |
| Allegan High School | 614 | 543 | -11.6% |
| Otsego Middle School | 524 | 542 | 3.4% |
| Fennville Elementary School | 529 | 503 | -4.9% |
| Hopkins High School | 490 | 477 | -2.7% |
| Washington Street Elementary School | 450 | 448 | -0.4% |
| Gilkey Elementary School | 399 | 439 | 10% |
| L. E. White Middle School | 436 | 427 | -2.1% |
| Pine Street Elementary School | 390 | 413 | 5.9% |
| Starr Elementary School | 451 | 410 | -9.1% |
| Hopkins Elementary School | 384 | 393 | 2.3% |
| Fennville Public High School | 396 | 383 | -3.3% |
| Baseline Middle School | 403 | 377 | -6.5% |
| Douglas Elementary School | 338 | 366 | 8.3% |
| Hamilton Elementary School | 363 | 359 | -1.1% |
| Dix Street Elementary School | 332 | 357 | 7.5% |
| Martin High School | 328 | 330 | 0.6% |
| Pine Trails Elementary School | 339 | 326 | -3.8% |
| Hopkins Middle School | 322 | 321 | -0.3% |
| Dorr School | 322 | 311 | -3.4% |
| Paris Ridge Elementary School | 317 | 303 | -4.4% |
| Robert D. Brandon Elementary School | 288 | 299 | 3.8% |
| Fennville Middle School | 288 | 293 | 1.7% |
| Bentheim Elementary School | 218 | 281 | 28.9% |
| Bessie B. Baker School | 313 | 280 | -10.5% |
| Dawson Elementary School | 286 | 278 | -2.8% |
| Saugatuck High School | 258 | 267 | 3.5% |
| RJ Steeby School | 240 | 256 | 6.7% |
| North Shore Elementary School | 261 | 255 | -2.3% |
| West Ward Elementary School | 245 | 247 | 0.8% |
| Sycamore Elementary School | 244 | 224 | -8.2% |
| Blue Star Elementary School | 212 | 202 | -4.7% |
| Saugatuck Middle School | 197 | 186 | -5.6% |
| Hamilton Flex | 151 | 172 | 13.9% |
| Pullman Elementary School | 183 | 165 | -9.8% |
| Hillside Learning Behavior Center | 135 | 129 | -4.4% |
| Allegan Alternative High School | 118 | 112 | -5.1% |
| Innocademy Allegan Campus | 95 | 102 | 7.4% |
| Renaissance High School | 92 | 86 | -6.5% |
| Allegan Online K-8 | 45 | 73 | 62.2% |
| Glenn Public School | 39 | 41 | 5.1% |
| Career Connections Academy | 52 | 37 | -28.8% |
| Outlook Academy | 50 | 35 | -30% |
| Pearl Alternative/Adult Education School | 43 | 35 | -18.6% |
| North Ward Elementary School | 36 | 29 | -19.4% |
| Otsego West Campus High School | 25 | 19 | -24% |
| Outlook Academy Youth Home Campus | 15 | 11 | -26.7% |
| Sandyview Elementary School | 53 | -- | -- |
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