Battle Creek Times

There were 11,379 white students enrolled in Calhoun County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 2.8% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Calhoun County welcomed 18,808 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, white students comprised 60.5% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 54 schools in Calhoun County, Harper Creek Middle School recorded the largest enrollment of white students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 723 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 white students enrolment	Total enrollment
Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center	100%	1
Homer Community High School	96%	247
Tekonsha Schools	91.7%	193
Lillian Fletcher Elementary School	90.6%	319
Homer Middle School	90.3%	268
Mar Lee School	87.8%	295
Athens Junior-Senor High School	86.7%	256
Gull Lake Virtual Partnership	83.7%	392
Harper Creek High School	83.6%	823
Walters Elementary School	83.6%	293
North Pennfield Elementary School	83.5%	188
Sonoma Elementary School	82.3%	351
Gordon Elementary School	81.7%	252
Pennfield Senior High School	81%	748
Hughes Elementary School	80.8%	261
Wattles Park Elementary School	80.8%	375
Harper Creek Middle School	80.7%	896
East Leroy Elementary School	78.9%	199
Pennfield Middle School	78.6%	471
Marshall High School	77.5%	787
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary School	76.2%	273
Beadle Lake Elementary School	76%	333
Pennfield Purdy School	75.1%	197
West Michigan Virtual Battle Creek High School	72.4%	370
Marshall Middle School	71%	541
Marshall Academy	64.5%	242
Doris Klaussen Development Center	63.6%	239
West Michigan Virtual Battle Creek Middle School	63.5%	96
Michigan Youth Challenge Academy	62.2%	119
Battle Creek Area Learning Center	59.8%	194
Calhoun County Juvenile Home	55.6%	9
Westlake Elementary School	55.3%	349
Battle Creek Montessori Academy	53.9%	141
Riverside Elementary School	51.1%	350
Lakeview High School	51%	1,241
Lakeview Alternative High School	49.3%	67
Marshall Opportunity High School	45.9%	109
Minges Brook School	44.8%	368
Lakeview Middle School	43.6%	1,082
Valley View Elementary School	38%	434
Prairieview School	37.8%	249
Harrington Elementary School	36%	236
Arbor Academy	33.8%	154
Lamora Park School	33.1%	154
Endeavor Charter Academy	32.3%	648
Ann J. Kellogg School	28.7%	348
Springfield Middle School	28.2%	472
Battle Creek Central High School	27%	978
Post Franklin School	25.6%	219
W. K. Kellogg Preparatory High School	25.4%	173
Verona Elementary School	23.9%	201
Fremont International Academy	23.5%	345
Dudley School	19.7%	117
Battle Creek STEM Innovation Center	19.3%	145