East Michigan News

There were 3,794 students enrolled in Clare County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 2.6% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Boys made up 51.5% of the county student body, while the other 48.5% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 91.4% of the student body, the highest percentage in Clare County schools, followed by 3.8% multiracial, 3.7% Hispanic, 0.6% African American, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Asian and less than 0.1% Hawaiian students.

Robert M. Larson Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Clare County's 13 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 582 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
Robert M. Larson Elementary School	598	582	-2.7%
Clare Primary School	579	557	-3.8%
Clare High School	482	478	-0.8%
Clare Middle School	482	474	-1.7%
Farwell High School	339	344	1.5%
Farwell Elementary School	314	336	7%
Farwell Middle School	306	281	-8.2%
Harrison Community High School	334	281	-15.9%
Harrison Middle School	282	279	-1.1%
Clare-Gladwin Area School	57	56	-1.8%
Clare Pioneer High School	32	45	40.6%
Harrison Alternative Education	37	42	13.5%
Farwell Timberland Alternative High School	52	39	-25%