South Michigan News

Hillsdale Community Schools had the highest enrollment among Hillsdale County districts, welcoming 1,263 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, 53% of them were boys, and 47% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 89.6% of the Hillsdale Community Schools total enrollment.

Among the 11 districts in Hillsdale County, Jonesville Community Schools ranked second in enrollment numbers with 1,180 students, while Reading Community Schools welcomed 690 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Hillsdale Community Schools roughly covers schools within Hillsdale County, with its main office in Hillsdale.

In the previous school year, Jonesville Community Schools had the highest number of students among Hillsdale 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.

District	City (Main Office)	Total Enrollment
Hillsdale Community Schools	Hillsdale	1,263
Jonesville Community Schools	Jonesville	1,180
Reading Community Schools	Reading	690
Camden-Frontier School	Camden	432
Pittsford Area Schools	Pittsford	366
Hillsdale ISD	Hillsdale	337
North Adams-Jerome Public Schools	North Adams	301
Will Carleton Charter School Academy	Hillsdale	281
Litchfield Community Schools	Litchfield	253
Waldron Area Schools	Waldron	205
Hillsdale Preparatory School	Hillsdale	60