LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Wednesday marks one of the two most important days for a school district when it comes to their funding: Count Day.

This year, Feb. 12 is Count Day, when attendance in class is used to determine how much funding a school district receives. In Michigan, the vast majority of funding is given on a per-pupil basis. Currently, the state pays an across-the-board $9,608 per pupil to public school districts for the “foundation allowance.” But there are many other forms of revenue that are calculated on a per-pupil basis, such a federal money and other state revenue streams such as money for at-risk students.

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If a student doesn’t show up today, the state still allows for that missing student to be counted. For instance, if it is an unexcused absence, that missing student can still be counted if they attend school within 10 days of the count day. If that same missing student had an excused absence, then the state gives them 30 days within a count day to be included.

Michigan has faced slumping enrollment for decades. The state had 2,023,944 public school K-12 students in 1977-78. The state had 1,429,895 public school students in 2023-24.