Battle Creek Times

There were 18,808 students enrolled in Calhoun County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 1.8% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Boys made up 51.3% of the county student body, while the other 48.7% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 60.5% of the student body, the highest percentage in Calhoun County schools, followed by 15.2% African American, 11% multiracial, 9.5% Hispanic, 3.3% Asian, 0.4% American Indian and less than 0.1% Hawaiian students.

Lakeview High School had the highest enrollment among Calhoun County's 58 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 1,241 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
Lakeview High School	1,239	1,241	0.2%
Lakeview Middle School	1,129	1,082	-4.2%
Battle Creek Central High School	1,036	978	-5.6%
Harper Creek Middle School	896	896	0%
Harper Creek High School	863	823	-4.6%
Marshall High School	769	787	2.3%
Pennfield Senior High School	778	748	-3.9%
Endeavor Charter Academy	681	648	-4.8%
Marshall Middle School	542	541	-0.2%
Springfield Middle School	395	472	19.5%
Pennfield Middle School	327	471	44%
Valley View Elementary School	454	434	-4.4%
Gull Lake Virtual Partnership	373	392	5.1%
Wattles Park Elementary School	383	375	-2.1%
West Michigan Virtual Battle Creek High School	337	370	9.8%
Minges Brook School	388	368	-5.2%
Sonoma Elementary School	383	351	-8.4%
Riverside Elementary School	346	350	1.2%
Westlake Elementary School	356	349	-2%
Ann J. Kellogg School	216	348	61.1%
Fremont International Academy	348	345	-0.9%
Beadle Lake Elementary School	338	333	-1.5%
Lillian Fletcher Elementary School	329	319	-3%
Mar Lee School	299	295	-1.3%
Walters Elementary School	293	293	0%
Pennfield Dunlap Elementary School	420	273	-35%
Homer Middle School	264	268	1.5%
Hughes Elementary School	266	261	-1.9%
Athens Junior-Senor High School	252	256	1.6%
Gordon Elementary School	247	252	2%
Prairieview School	247	249	0.8%
Homer Community High School	296	247	-16.6%
Marshall Academy	249	242	-2.8%
Doris Klaussen Development Center	260	239	-8.1%
Harrington Elementary School	259	236	-8.9%
Post Franklin School	240	219	-8.8%
Verona Elementary School	183	201	9.8%
East Leroy Elementary School	217	199	-8.3%
Pennfield Purdy School	212	197	-7.1%
Battle Creek Area Learning Center	179	194	8.4%
Tekonsha Schools	212	193	-9%
North Pennfield Elementary School	191	188	-1.6%
W. K. Kellogg Preparatory High School	190	173	-8.9%
Arbor Academy	127	154	21.3%
Lamora Park School	157	154	-1.9%
Battle Creek STEM Innovation Center	117	145	23.9%
Battle Creek Montessori Academy	150	141	-6%
Michigan Youth Challenge Academy	113	119	5.3%
Dudley School	132	117	-11.4%
Marshall Opportunity High School	113	109	-3.5%
West Michigan Virtual Battle Creek Middle School	55	96	74.5%
Lakeview Alternative High School	82	67	-18.3%
Calhoun County Juvenile Home	12	9	-25%
Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center	1	1	0%
Northwestern Middle School	209	--	--