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, Asian students comprised 1% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 62 schools in Jackson County, Paragon Charter Academy recorded the largest enrollment of Asian students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 50 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 Asian students enrolment | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Paragon Charter Academy | 8% | 627 |
| Sharp Park Academy | 4.7% | 337 |
| Jackson High School | 2.9% | 989 |
| Jackson Preparatory & Early College | 2.3% | 260 |
| Middle School at Parkside | 1.9% | 750 |
| Cascades Elementary School | 1.8% | 398 |
| Western High School | 1.5% | 809 |
| Northeast Elementary School | 1.5% | 396 |
| Springport Middle School | 1.4% | 222 |
| Northwest Alternative High School | 1.3% | 157 |
| Vandercook Lake High School | 1.2% | 258 |
| Concord High School | 1.1% | 182 |
| Dibble Elementary School | 1.1% | 282 |
| Bean Elementary School | 1% | 409 |
| Northwest High School | 0.9% | 958 |
| Northwest Early Elementary School | 0.9% | 848 |
| Northwest Kidder Middle School | 0.9% | 786 |
| Arnold Elementary School | 0.9% | 321 |
| Northwest Elementary School | 0.8% | 758 |
| Western Middle School | 0.8% | 594 |
| East Jackson Secondary School | 0.8% | 359 |
| South Central Michigan Virtual | 0.7% | 402 |
| Michigan Center Junior/Senior High School | 0.6% | 700 |
| Grass Lake High School | 0.5% | 394 |
| Columbia Central High School | 0.5% | 637 |
| Warner Elementary School | 0.5% | 371 |
| Columbia Upper Elementary School | 0.5% | 406 |
| Ezra Eby Elementary School | 0.4% | 564 |
| Springport High School | 0.4% | 273 |
| Lyle A. Torrant Center | 0.4% | 234 |
| Napoleon High School | 0.3% | 381 |
| East Jackson Elementary School | 0.3% | 348 |
| Hunt Elementary School | 0.3% | 366 |
| Townsend Elementary School | 0.3% | 316 |
| Keicher Elementary School | 0.2% | 402 |
| Springport Elementary School | 0.2% | 437 |
| Hanover-Horton Elementary School | 0% | 462 |
| George Long Elementary School | 0% | 650 |
| Parma Elementary School | 0% | 408 |
| Jackson Intermediate School District Local Based Special Education Programs | 0% | 240 |
| Da Vinci Institute (6-12) | 0% | 322 |
| Concord Elementary School | 0% | 292 |
| Columbia Elementary School | 0% | 307 |
| Concord Middle School | 0% | 143 |
| Hanover-Horton High School | 0% | 289 |
| Grass Lake Middle School | 0% | 290 |
| Napoleon Middle School | 0% | 261 |
| Woodville Community Center | 0% | 97 |
| JPS Montessori Center | 0% | 146 |
| Youth Home Jackson ISD | 0% | 22 |
| WAY East Jackson | 0% | 16 |
| Cotton Correctional Facility | 0% | 12 |
| Vandercook Lake Virtual Academy | 0% | 55 |
| Fourth Street Learning Center | 0% | 27 |
| Special Alternative Incarceration Camp Cassidy Lake | 0% | 1 |
| Parnall Correctional Facility | 0% | 7 |
| Ackerson Lake Community Education | 0% | 84 |
| John R. Lewis Elementary School | 0% | 140 |
| Da Vinci Institute (K-5) | 0% | 117 |
| Columbia Alternative Education | 0% | 78 |
| Jackson Pathways | 0% | 77 |
| Hanover-Horton Middle School | 0% | 250 |
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