RAPSON, Mich. - With enrollment down to one student, Rapson School near Bad Axe has closed for good. According to an article in The Bay City Times, the one-room public school had been in operation for nearly 100 years, though the original building was replaced in 1987.
Huron County remains a haven of sorts for such schools, The Times reported, with six others still in operation. The biggest, Church School near Bad Axe, has 25 pupils this year. Verona Mills School, at 21 pupils, has been in operation since 1867. It was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the building in 1890.
U.S. Census Bureau figures show Huron County's population has declined by 7.7 percent since 2000, one of the largest decreases among Michigan's 83 counties, according to The Times.
Jennifer Eugster, who taught at Rapson for seven years, told The Times, "I figured the closing of the school was a possibility, though I didn't realize ... how low the local population was going to get."
SOURCE:
The Bay City Times, "Huron County loses another one-room school as Rapson School closes its doors," Sept. 30, 2008
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Enrollment down, charters and choice up," Sept. 30, 2008
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