Berrien County Education: Which school had most students enrolled in 2024-25 school year?

St. Joseph High School had the largest enrollment among Berrien County schools, welcoming 933 students during the 2024-25 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 50.7% of them were boys, and 49.3% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 72.6% of the St. Joseph High School total enrollment.

Among the 74 schools in Berrien County, Lakeshore High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 843 students, while Niles Senior High School welcomed 828 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

St. Joseph High School is part of St. Joseph Public Schools, which roughly covers schools within Berrien County, with its main office in St. Joseph.

In the previous school year, St. Joseph High School also had the largest number of students among Berrien County schools.

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.