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/
Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 53.8% of them were boys, and 46.2% were girls.
Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 72.3% of the Mt. Pleasant Senior High School total enrollment.
Among the 20 schools in Isabella County, Mt. Pleasant Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 666 students, while Shepherd Elementary School welcomed 544 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.
Mt. Pleasant Senior High School is part of Mt. Pleasant City School District, which roughly covers schools within Isabella County, with its main office in Mount Pleasant.
In the previous school year, Mt. Pleasant Senior High School also had the largest number of students among Isabella 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mt. Pleasant Senior High School | Mount Pleasant | 1,066 |
| Mt. Pleasant Middle School | Mount Pleasant | 666 |
| Shepherd Elementary School | Shepherd | 544 |
| Shepherd High School | Shepherd | 519 |
| Fancher School | Mount Pleasant | 431 |
| Renaissance Public School Academy | Mount Pleasant | 428 |
| Shepherd Middle School | Shepherd | 390 |
| Beal City High School | Mount Pleasant | 376 |
| Pullen Elementary School | Mount Pleasant | 303 |
| Mary McGuire School | Mount Pleasant | 276 |
| Beal City Elementary School | Mount Pleasant | 265 |
| Weidman Elementary School | Weidman | 258 |
| Vowles School | Mount Pleasant | 235 |
| Winn Elementary School | Winn | 224 |
| Ganiard School | Mount Pleasant | 220 |
| GIRESD Center Programs | Ithaca | 216 |
| WAY Oasis | Mount Pleasant | 138 |
| Flextech High School Shepherd | Shepherd | 79 |
| Odyssey Middle - High School | Mount Pleasant | 69 |
| Isabella Day Treatment | Mount Pleasant | 6 |
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