Bad Axe Public Schools
| Bad Axe Public Schools | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
200 N. Barrie Road[1]
, Huron County, Michigan, 48413United States | |
| District information | |
| Grades | Kindergarten–12[1] |
| Superintendent | Gregory Newland[2] |
| Schools | 4[3] |
| Budget | $12,071,000 2021-2022 expenditures[3] |
| NCES District ID | 2600017[3] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 791 (2024-2025)[3] |
| Teachers | 55.04 (on an FTE basis) (2024-2025)[3] |
| Staff | 112.11 FTE (2024-2025)[3] |
| Student–teacher ratio | 14.37 (2024-2025)[3] |
| District mascot | Hatchets[1] |
| Other information | |
| Website | www |
Bad Axe Public Schools is a public school district in Huron County, in the Thumb region of Michigan. It serves Bad Axe and parts of the townships of Bingham, Colfax, Grant, Lincoln, Meade, Sheridan, and Verona.[4]
History
Bad Axe's first public school was built in 1877. It was destroyed in the Thumb Fire of 1881, and a new permanent school replaced it in 1884. A high school building was built in 1890.[5] The first class graduated in 1892, consisting of one student. The high school also housed Huron County Normal School, a post-secondary program for training teachers.[6]
In the early 1920s, buildings in the district consisted of a high school and a grade school annex, built in 1912.[7][8] As of 1922, school lunches were served by the "hot lunch club" and sold to students for 15 cents. Thirty to thirty-five lunches were made daily in the cooking classroom of the high school.[9]
In 1924, Bad Axe High School was built at 407 East Woodworth Street, and the previous high school became a dedicated grade school.[8] It was dedicated on January 23, 1925. Michigan Supreme Court justice George M. Clark delivered the dedication address. The school originally housed 700 students and featured a well-equipped gymnasium/auditorium and a basement kitchen that used a dumbwaiter to deliver meals upstairs. The high school attracted students from throughout the county.[10][11] The 1884 school burned down in 1927. Although the building itself was then used only for storage, the bell in its tall tower was still rung to signal class changes at nearby schools until it was destroyed in the fire.[12]
A new high school opened in fall 1951, designed by Louis C. Kingscott and Associates of Kalamazoo.[13] George E. Green Elementary was built in 1965, named after the elementary school's principal.[14] In fall 1973, the current elementary school opened. It was originally an intermediate school that housed grades four through six.[15] There was initially not enough money to operate the school, as a millage vote failed in April 1973. Another vote was taken in June and the millage was approved.[16]
The current Bad Axe High School opened in January 1996. The former high school became the district's junior high school. The 1925 school, used as a junior high school at the time, was then demolished.[17]
Schools
| School | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bad Axe High School | 200 N. Barrie Road, Bad Axe | Grades 7–12. Built 1996.[17] |
| Bad Axe Middle School | 750 S. Van Dyke, Bad Axe | Grades 3-6. Built 1951.[13] |
| Bad Axe Elementary | 404 Hatchet Drive, Bad Axe | Grades K-2. Built 1973.[16] |
| Ascent High School | 200 N. Barrie Road, Bad Axe | Alternative high school. |
References
- ^ a b c d Bad Axe Public Schools. "Bad Axe public Schools". Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ Bad Axe Public Schools. "Staff". Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Bad Axe Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
- ^ Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Huron County School Districts (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ Editorial staff of Bad Axe High School yearbook. The Bad Axian 1931 (Bad Axe High School yearbook 1931). p. 4.
- ^ Editorial staff of Bad Axe High School yearbook. The Bad Axian 1932 (Bad Axe High School yearbook 1932). pp. 4, 26.
- ^ Editorial staff of Bad Axe High School yearbook. The Bad Axian 1930 (Bad Axe High School yearbook 1930). p. 4.
- ^ a b "Let contracts for new school". Port Huron Times-Herald. February 29, 1924. p. 10.
- ^ "Serve first lunch in Bad Axe school". Port Huron Times-Herald. November 21, 1922. p. N.
- ^ "Neighboring news". The Pigeon Progress (Pigeon, Mich.). September 18, 1925. p. 1.
- ^ "Clark speaks at dedication of new Bad Axe school". The Port Huron Times-Herald. January 24, 1925. p. 7.
- ^ "Bad Axe fire leaves children without morning call". Port Huron Times Herald. February 22, 1927. p. 9.
- ^ a b "New Bad Axe High School building cost $383,163.57". The Times Herald (Port Huron, Mich.). September 2, 1951. p. 19.
- ^ "50 upper Thumb schools vary in reopening dates". The Times Herald (Port Huron, Mich.). August 11, 1965. p. B5.
- ^ "Valley report". Saginaw News. May 30, 1971. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Huron County voters approve millage issues". The Saginaw News. June 12, 1973. p. A11.
- ^ a b Gilchrist, Tom (January 21, 1996). "New tax builds new school". Bay City Times (Bay City, Mich.). p. 4.