SE Grand Rapids News

Ionia High School had the largest enrollment among Ionia County schools, welcoming 775 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, 52% of them were boys, and 48% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 81.9% of the Ionia High School total enrollment.

Among the 27 schools in Ionia County, Portland High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 665 students, while Ionia Middle School welcomed 629 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Ionia High School is part of Ionia Public Schools, which roughly covers schools within Ionia County, with its main office in Ionia.

In the previous school year, Ionia High School also had the largest number of students among Ionia 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
Ionia High School	Ionia	775
Portland High School	Portland	665
Ionia Middle School	Ionia	629
Belding High School	Belding	511
Oakwood Elementary School	Portland	473
Lakewood Elementary School	Lake Odessa	461
Saranac Elementary School	Saranac	433
Westwood Elementary School	Portland	423
Portland Middle School	Portland	418
Saranac Junior-Senior High School	Saranac	406
Ellis Elementary School	Belding	391
Woodview Elementary School	Belding	372
Belding Middle School	Belding	363
A. A. Rather School	Ionia	308
Jefferson School	Ionia	272
R. B. Boyce Elementary School	Ionia	254
Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School	Pewamo	249
Twin Rivers Elementary School	Muir	183
Emerson School	Ionia	166
Freedom Acres School	Ionia	122
Douglas R. Welch High School	Ionia	73
Coon School	Ionia	15
North LeValley Elementary School	Ionia	10
Haynor School	Ionia	10
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility	Ionia	9
Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility	Ionia	3
Handlon Correctional Facility	Ionia	2