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/
Data showed that Jackson County welcomed 21,724 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 9.6% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 62 schools in Jackson County, Jackson High School recorded the largest enrollment of African American students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 336 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.
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 | % of African American students enrolment | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Special Alternative Incarceration Camp Cassidy Lake | 100% | 1 |
| Cotton Correctional Facility | 58.3% | 12 |
| Fourth Street Learning Center | 55.6% | 27 |
| John R. Lewis Elementary School | 48.6% | 140 |
| Parnall Correctional Facility | 42.9% | 7 |
| Cascades Elementary School | 41.2% | 398 |
| Jackson High School | 34% | 989 |
| Hunt Elementary School | 33.3% | 366 |
| Jackson Pathways | 32.5% | 77 |
| Middle School at Parkside | 31.9% | 750 |
| Northeast Elementary School | 31.8% | 396 |
| Sharp Park Academy | 28.2% | 337 |
| Dibble Elementary School | 26.2% | 282 |
| JPS Montessori Center | 26% | 146 |
| Paragon Charter Academy | 22% | 627 |
| South Central Michigan Virtual | 21.6% | 402 |
| Jackson Preparatory & Early College | 16.5% | 260 |
| Da Vinci Institute (6-12) | 14% | 322 |
| Youth Home Jackson ISD | 13.6% | 22 |
| Concord High School | 12.1% | 182 |
| Concord Middle School | 10.5% | 143 |
| East Jackson Secondary School | 10% | 359 |
| Jackson Intermediate School District Local Based Special Education Programs | 9.6% | 240 |
| Lyle A. Torrant Center | 7.7% | 234 |
| Concord Elementary School | 7.5% | 292 |
| Da Vinci Institute (K-5) | 6.8% | 117 |
| WAY East Jackson | 6.3% | 16 |
| Woodville Community Center | 6.2% | 97 |
| Townsend Elementary School | 6% | 316 |
| East Jackson Elementary School | 5.7% | 348 |
| Northwest Kidder Middle School | 5.5% | 786 |
| Vandercook Lake High School | 4.7% | 258 |
| Northwest Elementary School | 4.6% | 758 |
| Northwest High School | 4% | 958 |
| Northwest Alternative High School | 3.8% | 157 |
| Vandercook Lake Virtual Academy | 3.6% | 55 |
| Northwest Early Elementary School | 3.1% | 848 |
| Ackerson Lake Community Education | 2.4% | 84 |
| Warner Elementary School | 2.4% | 371 |
| Western Middle School | 2.2% | 594 |
| Western High School | 2.1% | 809 |
| Bean Elementary School | 2% | 409 |
| Michigan Center Junior/Senior High School | 2% | 700 |
| Arnold Elementary School | 1.6% | 321 |
| Parma Elementary School | 1.5% | 408 |
| Columbia Central High School | 0.9% | 637 |
| Napoleon High School | 0.8% | 381 |
| Napoleon Middle School | 0.8% | 261 |
| Ezra Eby Elementary School | 0.7% | 564 |
| Grass Lake Middle School | 0.7% | 290 |
| Keicher Elementary School | 0.5% | 402 |
| Columbia Upper Elementary School | 0.5% | 406 |
| Springport Elementary School | 0.5% | 437 |
| George Long Elementary School | 0.5% | 650 |
| Springport High School | 0.4% | 273 |
| Grass Lake High School | 0.3% | 394 |
| Columbia Alternative Education | 0% | 78 |
| Hanover-Horton Middle School | 0% | 250 |
| Springport Middle School | 0% | 222 |
| Hanover-Horton High School | 0% | 289 |
| Columbia Elementary School | 0% | 307 |
| Hanover-Horton Elementary School | 0% | 462 |
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
!RECEIVE ALERTS
DONATE
Alerts Sign-up