From classroom size to athletics, enrollment is a key factor in school districts all over. According to the data available, the Big Rapids, Reed City, Chippewa Hills, Morley Stanwood and White Cloud high schools all have had very different district profiles since the early 1980s.

Here's a look at each high school's enrollment over the last 40 years in five-year increments:

 

BIG RAPIDS HIGH SCHOOL

Big Rapids enters the 2026-27 school year with 716 students, a 3.89% drop in students from last year. Since 2021, when Big Rapids experienced its lowest enrollment since 1985, the school has grown 25.39%. This is the greatest growth percentage of any area school by a fair margin. 

 

REED CITY HIGH SCHOOL

Reed City will have 469 students this year and will boast a 7.25% enrollment increase. Reed City, similar to Big Rapids, experienced its lowest enrollment in 2021, but has bounced back with a 12.74% increase in student population since that point. 

 

CHIPPEWA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL

Located near Remus, Chippewa Hills will have an all-time low of 445 high school students enrolled in the 2026-27 school year. Since 2021, the school has experienced a 9.55% decrease and a 22.88% decrease in its student body over the last 10 years. Overall, the school has not experienced a positive increase in student population since 2014-16. 

 

MORLEY STANWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

For Morley Stanwood, 294 students will enter the 2026-27 school year. This is a two-student increase from last year's all-time low enrollment of 292. Surprisingly, it was only five years ago (2021) that the school had one of its highest enrollments in the last 10 years; however, it has since experienced one of the area's largest decreases at 20.97%.

 

WHITE CLOUD HIGH SCHOOL

Finally, White Cloud enters the 2026-27 school year with a student population of 215, the lowest since 1985. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, White Cloud has seen a 12.24% decrease in enrollment, but has bounced consistently between 215 and 250 students.

 

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Looking at all five schools, only two of them have seen an increase in enrollment from 2021 to 2026: Big Rapids and Reed City. This could result from many factors, such as post-COVID recovery, rural populations or even school-of-choice preferences.

Another thing to look at is the total number of students at these five schools during this same period. In 2021, total enrollment was 2,096 students, whereas this coming year’s enrollment will be 2,136, showing a 1.91% increase. According to U.S. Census data, the number of district residents has also dropped ever so slightly, despite more children being enrolled in high school.

All in all, enrollment numbers tell a story for each school district and how each district goes forward, but one thing remains the same: every school matters.