Sturgis-Coldwater News

Coldwater High School had the largest enrollment among Branch County schools, welcoming 981 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, 51.3% of them were boys, and 48.7% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 79.8% of the Coldwater High School total enrollment.

Among the 16 schools in Branch County, Legg Middle School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 616 students, while Bronson Junior-Senior High School welcomed 530 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Coldwater High School is part of Coldwater Community Schools, which roughly covers schools within Branch County, with its main office in Coldwater.

In the previous school year, Coldwater High School also had the largest number of students among Branch 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
Coldwater High School	Coldwater	981
Legg Middle School	Coldwater	616
Bronson Junior-Senior High School	Bronson	530
Pansophia Academy	Coldwater	514
Larsen Elementary School	Coldwater	463
Jennings Elementary School	Quincy	408
Jefferson Elementary School	Coldwater	378
Lakeland Elementary School	Coldwater	375
Union City Elementary School	Union City	359
Quincy High School	Quincy	346
Quincy Middle School	Quincy	345
Union City High School	Union City	305
Waldron Learning Center	Coldwater	256
Union City Middle School	Union City	245
Ryan Elementary School	Bronson	217
Anderson Elementary School	Bronson	216