South Michigan News

Williams Elementary School had the largest enrollment among Hillsdale County schools, welcoming 512 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, 50.8% of them were boys, and 49.2% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 93.9% of the Williams Elementary School total enrollment.

Among the 22 schools in Hillsdale County, Gier Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 434 students, while Camden-Frontier K-12 School welcomed 432 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Williams Elementary School is part of Jonesville Community Schools, which roughly covers schools within Hillsdale County, with its main office in Jonesville.

In the previous school year, Williams Elementary School also had the largest 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.

School name	City	Total School Enrollment
Williams Elementary School	Jonesville	512
Gier Elementary School	Hillsdale	434
Camden-Frontier K-12 School	Camden	432
Reynolds Elementary School	Reading	404
Hillsdale High School	Hillsdale	370
Davis Middle School	Hillsdale	366
Jonesville High School	Jonesville	309
Jonesville Middle School	Jonesville	297
Reading High School	Reading	286
Will Carleton Charter School Academy	Hillsdale	281
Waldron Area Schools	Waldron	205
Pittsford Area High School	Pittsford	203
North Adams-Jerome Middle-High School	North Adams	163
Pittsford Area Elementary School	Pittsford	163
Litchfield High School	Litchfield	143
North Adams-Jerome Elementary School	North Adams	138
Litchfield Elementary School	Litchfield	110
Jonesville Pathways	Jonesville	62
Hillsdale Preparatory School	Hillsdale	60
Horizon Alternative School	Hillsdale	55
Greenfield School	Hillsdale	50
Bailey Early Childhood Center	Hillsdale	34