Schoolcraft County residents ensure the prosperity of their communities by supporting their schools with tax dollars and countless volunteer hours.

Most Schoolcraft County students attend schools administered by the Manistique Area Public School District. Enrolling about 1,150 students, the district administers three K-5 elementary schools and a combined 6-8 middle school/9-12 high school. The district also sponsors an alternative high school.

All MAS classrooms are equipped with at least one computer. Students can take courses offered at other schools via interactive television. The High-Five Mentorship Program is a unique program in which high school students spend time in elementary classrooms helping younger students in a variety of subjects.

IN addition to a strong core curriculum, Manistique Area Public Schools provide students with advanced placement courses. Career preparation is incorporated into classrooms throughout the district. For example, area business people visit elementary classrooms to explain their profession; middle school students learn about job opportunities through visits to area businesses; and an annual career day at the high school gives older student insights into potential jobs.

At Manistique, elementary schools have won four "Golden Apple" Awards in the last two years. Each award was worth $50,000. Presented by the State of Michigan, these awards are designed to recognize outstanding student achievement test scores.

A number of Schoolcraft County children attend schools administered by the Tahquamenon Area Schools. Also offered to residents of Schoolcraft County is the opportunity for students to attend private school, K through 8 at St. Francis de Sales.

Big Bay de Noc School District enrolls about 360 students at its K-12 school in Garden (Delta County). Tahquamenon Area Schools, based in Newberry (Luce County), enrolls about 1,200 students. The preK-12 district comprises a high school, middle school and two elementary schools.

Outside the classroom, area students can participate in a full range of academic clubs, music programs and interscholastic sports. In Manistique, a new football stadium and track were built in 2003.

• Bay de Noc Community College is a two-year public college offering certificates, associates degrees and university transfer programs in fields ranging from business to manufacturing technology. The college, also known as Bay College, has an enrollment of about 2,300 students. Also located on the college's 150-acre campus is a Michigan Technical Education Center. Opened in 2000, the M-TEC provides workforce training programs designed to meet the specific needs of area businesses. Programs are designed to accommodate employees schedules, and are offered on the college's campus, at the worksite or via interactive television. Bay College also offers four-year degrees through articulation programs with Northern Michigan University, Franklin University, Lake Superior State University and Phoenix University.
  
• Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, is a public university. Founded in 1899, NMU annually enrolls approximately 8,600 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 100 majors ranging fro accounting to zoology. Eighty percent of NMU faculty hold doctorates or the highest degrees in their field. Average class size is 23, with an overall student/faculty ratio of 20/1. The NCAA, Division II school fields the full spectrum of men's and women's athletics, and it athletic facilities include the 8,000-seat Superior Dome, the world's largest wooden dome.
  
• Michigan Technological University, in Houghton, is one of the nation's premier science and technology institutions. The university, which annually enrolls about 6,600 students, has been included among the top-50 public universities in the country by the U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1885, Michigan Tech is a state-supported institution offering certificates, associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in more that 60 majors. Like LSSU, it is a NCAA Division II school in all sports except hockey, where it competes in Division I.