More school organizations, fewer students

The year Proposal A was implemented and charter schools were created (1994-95), there were 556 traditional school districts in Michigan, 57 ISDs, and 5 charter schools that first year…a combined total of 618 public school entities. Those entities served approximately 1.6 million students. During the 2023-24 school year, there were 878 public school entities (537 traditional districts, 56 ISDs, and 285 charter schools) serving approximately 1.4 million students.

This post does not pass judgment on the value of school choice. Focusing only on the economics of how Michigan provides K12 education as a public service, efficiency has taken a hit. During the 1994-95 year, the state served 2,578 pupils per public school entity. Last year that figure was 1,594. With long-term demographic trends predicting decades-long further decline in the K12 population, efficiency will continue to decline.

A graph of Michigan K12 enrollment (left axis) charted against the number of operating public school organizations (right axis)