Michigan Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
Michigan reported 3,485 operating public schools, 882 operating districts, 1,426,491 students, and 86,022 teachers in school year 2023–24. The statewide pupil-teacher ratio was 16.6 students per teacher.
Fiscal year 2024 finance data place current public elementary-secondary spending at $18,314 per pupil. School counts and enrollment come from NCES Common Core of Data releases; finance measures come from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of School System Finances.
Michigan Education Snapshot
School-system measures use final NCES 2023–24 files. Spending uses the Census Bureau FY2024 release published in May 2026.
Current Spending per Pupil
Michigan compared with the Midwest weighted average and nationwide average in fiscal year 2024.
Michigan, Midwest, and U.S. Spending Comparison
Current operating spending per public elementary-secondary pupil, nominal dollars
Michigan was $695, or 3.9%, above the national average and $1,167, or 6.8%, above the Midwest weighted average. Values exclude capital outlay and debt service.
Chart analysis
- Michigan reported the highest value among the three benchmarks at $18,314 per pupil.
- The national value was $17,619 per pupil.
- The Midwest weighted average was $17,147 per pupil.
- Michigan exceeded the Midwest benchmark by $1,167 per pupil.
- Values are nominal and are not adjusted for inflation or regional price differences.
Michigan Public School System Indicators
Final NCES counts compare school years 2022–23 and 2023–24. U.S. totals cover the 50 states and District of Columbia.
| Indicator | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | Change | Change % | U.S. 2023-24 | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating schools | 3,510 | 3,485 | -25 | -0.7% | 99,297 | Schools |
| Operating districts | 892 | 882 | -10 | -1.1% | 19,186 | Districts |
| Student membership | 1,433,914 | 1,426,491 | -7,423 | -0.5% | 49,404,386 | Students |
| Teachers | 85,880 | 86,022 | +142 | +0.2% | 3,253,091 | FTE |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 16.7 | 16.6 | -0.1 | -0.6% | 15.2 | Students per teacher |
Table analysis
- Student membership fell by 7,423, or 0.5%, between the two school years.
- The number of operating schools declined by 25.
- The number of operating districts declined by 10.
- Teacher staffing increased by 142 FTE while enrollment declined.
- The pupil-teacher ratio moved from 16.7 to 16.6.
- Michigan's 2023–24 ratio was 1.4 students above the U.S. ratio of 15.2.
- Operating-school and operating-district counts reflect entities providing services at the start of the reported school year.
Enrollment, School Level, and Finance Detail
Enrollment trends, regular-school classifications, and fiscal measures retain their separate official reporting periods.
Michigan Public School Enrollment Trend
Fall enrollment reported through the NCES State Nonfiscal Survey, 2013–2023
Enrollment declined from 1,548,841 in fall 2013 to 1,426,491 in fall 2023, a decrease of 122,350 students or 7.9%.
Trend analysis
- Fall enrollment declined by 122,350 students from 2013 to 2023.
- The ten-year percentage change was -7.9%.
- The largest one-year decline in the series occurred from 2019 to 2020: -61,788 students.
- Enrollment rose by 5,953 students from 2020 to 2021.
- Fall 2023 enrollment was 7,423 below fall 2022.
| Fall year | Enrollment | Annual change | Annual change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1,548,841 | — | — |
| 2014 | 1,537,922 | -10,919 | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 1,536,231 | -1,691 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1,528,666 | -7,565 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1,516,398 | -12,268 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 1,504,194 | -12,204 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 1,495,925 | -8,269 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 1,434,137 | -61,788 | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 1,440,090 | +5,953 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 1,433,914 | -6,176 | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 1,426,491 | -7,423 | -0.5% |
Table analysis
- Fall 2013 was the highest point in the displayed series at 1,548,841.
- Fall 2023 was the lowest point at 1,426,491.
- Nine of the ten annual changes were declines.
- The only increase was recorded in 2021, at 0.4%.
- The 2019–2023 change was -69,434 students, or -4.6%.
- Counts are fall membership, not full-year average daily attendance.
Regular Public Schools by Level
NCES classifies 2,869 Michigan schools as regular operating schools in 2023–24. The all-school total of 3,485 also includes nonregular school types.
| School level | Regular schools | Average membership | Share of regular schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 1,620 | 373 | 56.5% |
| Middle | 495 | 499 | 17.3% |
| High school | 613 | 661 | 21.4% |
| Secondary | 5 | 560 | 0.2% |
| Other and ungraded | 136 | 408 | 4.7% |
Table analysis
- Elementary schools account for 56.5% of Michigan's regular operating schools.
- Regular high schools have the largest average membership at 661 students.
- Middle schools average 499 students.
- School-level categories total 2,869 regular operating schools.
- Average membership is an average within each NCES school-level category and does not measure class size.
Michigan Finance Measures per Pupil
Current spending, total expenditure, and revenue by source in fiscal year 2024
Revenue measures describe funds received; expenditure measures describe funds spent. They are not interchangeable.
Chart analysis
- Total public funding was $23,222 per pupil.
- State-source funding was the largest revenue component at $13,161 per pupil.
- Local-source funding was $7,532 per pupil.
- Federal-source funding was $2,530 per pupil.
- Total expenditure including capital outlay was $22,392 per pupil.
- Current operating spending was $18,314 per pupil.
| Finance measure | Type | Per pupil | 5-year CAGR | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending | Operating expenditure | $18,314 | 7.50% | FY2024 |
| Total expenditure, including capital outlay | Total expenditure | $22,392 | 8.94% | FY2024 |
| All public funding | Total revenue | $23,222 | 4.00% | FY2024 |
| Federal-source funding | Revenue source | $2,530 | 16.05% | FY2024 |
| State-source funding | Revenue source | $13,161 | 8.66% | FY2024 |
| Local-source funding | Revenue source | $7,532 | 7.86% | FY2024 |
Table analysis
- State sources supplied about 56.7% of the three reported revenue-source amounts.
- Local sources supplied about 32.4%.
- Federal sources supplied about 10.9%.
- The gap between total expenditure and current spending was $4,078 per pupil.
- Federal-source funding had the highest reported five-year compound annual growth rate at 16.05%.
- The three rounded source amounts sum to $23,223, one dollar above the published total revenue figure.
- Current spending excludes capital outlay, debt service, and non-elementary-secondary programs.
What the Michigan Data Shows
The measures describe system size, staffing, enrollment movement, and finance. They do not measure school quality on their own.
Enrollment Scale
Michigan served 1.43 million public school students in fall 2023. The reported count was 7.9% below fall 2013.
Staffing Movement
Teacher FTE rose slightly between 2022–23 and 2023–24 while student membership declined, moving the pupil-teacher ratio down by 0.1.
Spending Position
FY2024 current spending per pupil was above both the U.S. average and the Midwest weighted average before any regional price adjustment.
Revenue Structure
State sources supplied the largest share of reported revenue per pupil. Revenue totals should not be read as current spending totals.
Source and Methodology
School System Counts
NCES CCD Table 2, school year 2023–24. Final Version 1a files provide operating schools, operating districts, student membership, teacher FTE, and pupil-teacher ratios.
Prior-Year Counts
NCES CCD Table 2, school year 2022–23. Values support the one-year change calculations.
Enrollment Series
Digest of Education Statistics 2024, Table 203.20. The series uses fall enrollment from the CCD State Nonfiscal Survey.
School-Level Counts
NCES CCD Table 4, school year 2023–24. Regular operating schools are grouped by NCES school level.
Finance Data
U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data, released May 7, 2026.
Finance Tables
Annual Survey of School System Finances FY2024 summary tables. The file supplies state finance amounts and nationwide comparisons.
Periods: School-system statistics refer to school year 2023–24; the enrollment trend ends in fall 2023; finance statistics refer to fiscal year 2024. The year 2026 in the title marks the data-page edition and the release year of the latest finance file, not a claim that every measure describes 2026.
Coverage: NCES student membership and teacher counts include prekindergarten through grade 13 and exclude adult education students. Teacher counts are full-time equivalents. Census finance data cover public elementary-secondary school systems and use the survey's finance enrollment denominator.
Rounding: Counts are shown as published. Ratios and percentage changes are rounded to one decimal unless added precision is needed. Finance values are rounded to whole dollars per pupil; component sums can differ from totals because of rounding.
Current spending, total expenditure, and revenue per pupil measure different finance concepts. Current spending excludes capital outlay, debt service, and non-K-12 programs. Dollar values are nominal and are not adjusted for inflation or regional price levels. Rankings or comparisons based on one finance measure do not establish differences in educational quality or student outcomes.