There were 3,953 African American students enrolled in Berrien County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 0.6% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
Data showed that Berrien County welcomed 21,077 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 18.8% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 74 schools in Berrien County, Benton Harbor High School recorded the largest enrollment of African American students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 445 students.
In the 2024-25 school year, 1,427,386 students enrolled in Michigan schools, a figure 4.8% below the pre-pandemic total of 1,499,552 in 2019-20, with white students seeing the largest decline of approximately 3%.
Academic performance in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the 2024 NAEP results, the share of students reaching the basic benchmark in core subjects is about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019—except for fourth-grade math, which saw a decline of just 2 points.
Achievement gaps between ethnic groups also persist. On average, Hispanic students scored 15 points below white students. The gap was even wider for Black students, who scored about 30 points lower than their white peers.
The 2025 education budget, approved by Gov. Whitmer last July, totals $23.4 billion—$900 million less than the previous year’s budget. K-12 schools are working with $20.6 billion, a reduction from the $21.5 billion allocated in 2024.
However, some school superintendents and educators were concerned about the new budget. “Schools cannot function properly without adequate funding for safety and mental health,” stated Rep. David Martin, R-Davison, referring to a significant cut of around $301 million from school safety and mental health programs. Based on the current bill, the program will receive just $26.5 million.
| School name | % of African American students enrolment | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Enrichment Center | 98.8% | 80 |
| Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy | 97.4% | 227 |
| Benton Harbor Charter School Academy | 96.2% | 418 |
| Benton Harbor High School | 94.9% | 469 |
| Fair Plain Middle School | 91.3% | 240 |
| Fair Plain East Elementary School | 88% | 150 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School | 86% | 229 |
| Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center | 85% | 60 |
| Berrien County Juvenile Center | 80% | 10 |
| Bridge Academy of Southwest Michigan | 61.6% | 112 |
| Countryside Academy Middle-High School | 56.7% | 386 |
| Countryside Academy Elementary | 55.5% | 384 |
| Lybrook Elementary School | 32.2% | 233 |
| Berrien Springs Middle School | 32.1% | 424 |
| Sylvester Elementary School | 31% | 394 |
| Blossomland Learning Center | 29.6% | 159 |
| Mars Elementary School | 28.1% | 338 |
| Eau Claire Middle School | 28.1% | 139 |
| Berrien Springs High School | 27.8% | 554 |
| Riverside School | 25% | 72 |
| Lighthouse Education Center | 24.6% | 134 |
| Berrien Springs Discovery Academy | 24.3% | 74 |
| Eau Claire High School | 21.7% | 180 |
| River School | 21.4% | 70 |
| WAY Eau Claire | 17.1% | 35 |
| Niles Comm Schools Adult Education | 16.7% | 24 |
| Eastside Connections School | 14.1% | 403 |
| Buchanan Step Up | 13.3% | 15 |
| Berrien Springs Virtual Academy | 12.2% | 213 |
| Ballard Elementary School | 12% | 516 |
| Ring Lardner Middle School | 11.4% | 510 |
| Lincoln School | 10.2% | 423 |
| Coloma High School | 10.1% | 336 |
| Niles Senior High School | 8.9% | 828 |
| Southside Special Education School | 8.9% | 45 |
| WAY Niles | 8.4% | 95 |
| Upton Middle School | 8.3% | 690 |
| Niles Cedar Lane | 8.2% | 134 |
| Coloma Elementary School | 8.1% | 356 |
| Brown School | 8% | 410 |
| Coloma Junior High School | 7.9% | 228 |
| St. Joseph High School | 7.8% | 933 |
| Northside Child Development Center | 7.7% | 13 |
| Coloma Intermediate School | 7.4% | 175 |
| Stewart Elementary School | 6.1% | 391 |
| Lakeshore High School | 5% | 843 |
| Lakeshore Middle School | 4.9% | 612 |
| Brandywine Middle School | 4.4% | 183 |
| Brandywine Elementary School | 4.2% | 379 |
| Moccasin Elementary School | 4.2% | 354 |
| Hollywood Elementary School | 4.2% | 377 |
| Clarke School | 4.1% | 462 |
| Buchanan Virtual Academy | 4.1% | 49 |
| Bridgman High School | 3.8% | 239 |
| New Buffalo Senior High School | 3.5% | 172 |
| WAY Watervliet High School | 3.3% | 90 |
| New Buffalo Elementary School | 3.3% | 211 |
| Buchanan High School | 3% | 561 |
| Brandywine Senior High School | 3% | 366 |
| Merritt Elementary School | 3% | 304 |
| North Elementary School | 2.6% | 312 |
| Watervliet Senior High School | 2.5% | 360 |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 2.4% | 412 |
| Ottawa Elementary School | 2.2% | 230 |
| Buchanan Middle School | 2.2% | 358 |
| South Elementary School | 2.1% | 335 |
| New Buffalo Middle School | 1.5% | 133 |
| Watervliet Middle School | 1.3% | 309 |
| F. C. Reed Middle School | 1.1% | 261 |
| River Valley Middle-High School | 0.8% | 265 |
| Bridgman Elementary School | 0.6% | 309 |
| Niles Virtual School | 0% | 18 |
| Brandywine Innovation Academy | 0% | 69 |
| Three Oaks Elementary School | 0% | 195 |