Shiawassee Times

There were 9,170 white students enrolled in Shiawassee County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 2.6% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Shiawassee County welcomed 10,130 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, white students comprised 90.5% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 29 schools in Shiawassee County, Owosso High School recorded the largest enrollment of white students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 724 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
Ovid-Elsie Community Education/Alternative High School	96.7%	30
Byron Area High School	96.5%	200
Morrice Area High School	94.9%	215
Durand Middle School	94.4%	304
Bertha Neal School	93.7%	158
Byron Area Middle School	93%	142
New Lothrop Elementary School	92.9%	505
Morrice Area Elementary School	92.9%	196
Laingsburg Elementary School	92.5%	521
New Lothrop High School	92.2%	398
Byron Area Elementary School	91.9%	310
Corunna High School	91.5%	610
Corunna Middle School	91.1%	438
Robert Kerr School	90.9%	361
Durand Area High School	90.6%	385
Perry Middle School	90.6%	307
Emerson School	90.3%	421
Perry High School	89.9%	476
Owosso High School	89.9%	805
Leonard Elementary School	89.8%	284
Laingsburg Middle School	89.6%	251
Perry Elementary School	89.1%	193
Laingsburg High School	88.5%	340
Owosso Middle School	88.3%	641
Shiawassee RESD Student Learning Center - West	87.5%	184
Elsa Meyer Elementary School	87.4%	484
Central School	87.3%	409
Bryant School	87.2%	431
Lincoln Alternative High School	85.5%	131