East Michigan News

Robert M. Larson Elementary School had the largest enrollment among Clare County schools, welcoming 582 students during the 2024-25 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 50.5% of them were boys, and 49.5% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 93.3% of the Robert M. Larson Elementary School total enrollment.

Among the 13 schools in Clare County, Clare Primary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 557 students, while Clare High School welcomed 478 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Robert M. Larson Elementary School is part of Harrison Community Schools, which roughly covers schools within Clare County, with its main office in Harrison.

In the previous school year, Robert M. Larson Elementary School also had the largest number of students among Clare County schools.

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	City	Total School Enrollment
Robert M. Larson Elementary School	Harrison	582
Clare Primary School	Clare	557
Clare High School	Clare	478
Clare Middle School	Clare	474
Farwell High School	Farwell	344
Farwell Elementary School	Farwell	336
Harrison Community High School	Harrison	281
Farwell Middle School	Farwell	281
Harrison Middle School	Harrison	279
Clare-Gladwin Area School	Clare	56
Clare Pioneer High School	Clare	45
Harrison Alternative Education	Harrison	42
Farwell Timberland Alternative High School	Farwell	39