There were 12,924 white students enrolled in Berrien County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 2.1% 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, white students comprised 61.3% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 74 schools in Berrien County, Lakeshore High School recorded the largest enrollment of white students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 692 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 white students enrolment | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Buchanan Middle School | 86.9% | 358 |
| Buchanan High School | 86.6% | 561 |
| Bridgman Elementary School | 85.8% | 309 |
| Bridgman High School | 85.4% | 239 |
| F. C. Reed Middle School | 85.1% | 261 |
| Ottawa Elementary School | 84.8% | 230 |
| Northside Child Development Center | 84.6% | 13 |
| River Valley Middle-High School | 84.2% | 265 |
| Three Oaks Elementary School | 83.6% | 195 |
| Niles Virtual School | 83.3% | 18 |
| Hollywood Elementary School | 82.8% | 377 |
| Brandywine Innovation Academy | 82.6% | 69 |
| Lakeshore High School | 82.1% | 843 |
| New Buffalo Elementary School | 82% | 211 |
| Brandywine Elementary School | 81.8% | 379 |
| Buchanan Virtual Academy | 81.6% | 49 |
| Lakeshore Middle School | 81.4% | 612 |
| New Buffalo Middle School | 81.2% | 133 |
| Brandywine Senior High School | 81.1% | 366 |
| Moccasin Elementary School | 81.1% | 354 |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 80.6% | 412 |
| Southside Special Education School | 80% | 45 |
| Brandywine Middle School | 78.7% | 183 |
| Merritt Elementary School | 77.3% | 304 |
| WAY Niles | 75.8% | 95 |
| Stewart Elementary School | 75.4% | 391 |
| South Elementary School | 75.2% | 335 |
| Upton Middle School | 73.9% | 690 |
| Clarke School | 73.6% | 462 |
| Watervliet Senior High School | 72.8% | 360 |
| Lincoln School | 72.8% | 423 |
| New Buffalo Senior High School | 72.7% | 172 |
| St. Joseph High School | 72.6% | 933 |
| North Elementary School | 72.1% | 312 |
| Brown School | 72% | 410 |
| Berrien Springs Virtual Academy | 70% | 213 |
| Watervliet Middle School | 69.9% | 309 |
| Niles Senior High School | 69% | 828 |
| Buchanan Step Up | 66.7% | 15 |
| Ring Lardner Middle School | 65.3% | 510 |
| Coloma High School | 65.2% | 336 |
| Niles Cedar Lane | 64.9% | 134 |
| Eastside Connections School | 63.8% | 403 |
| Coloma Junior High School | 63.2% | 228 |
| Niles Comm Schools Adult Education | 62.5% | 24 |
| Lighthouse Education Center | 61.9% | 134 |
| WAY Watervliet High School | 61.1% | 90 |
| Blossomland Learning Center | 61% | 159 |
| Coloma Elementary School | 61% | 356 |
| Ballard Elementary School | 60.3% | 516 |
| Berrien Springs Discovery Academy | 56.8% | 74 |
| Coloma Intermediate School | 56.6% | 175 |
| Riverside School | 51.4% | 72 |
| WAY Eau Claire | 51.4% | 35 |
| River School | 48.6% | 70 |
| Sylvester Elementary School | 42.1% | 394 |
| Mars Elementary School | 39.3% | 338 |
| Berrien Springs High School | 39% | 554 |
| Berrien Springs Middle School | 38.4% | 424 |
| Eau Claire High School | 33.3% | 180 |
| Lybrook Elementary School | 31.8% | 233 |
| Eau Claire Middle School | 20.1% | 139 |
| Berrien County Juvenile Center | 20% | 10 |
| Bridge Academy of Southwest Michigan | 19.6% | 112 |
| Countryside Academy Middle-High School | 9.3% | 386 |
| Countryside Academy Elementary | 7% | 384 |
| Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center | 5% | 60 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School | 3.5% | 229 |
| Fair Plain East Elementary School | 3.3% | 150 |
| Fair Plain Middle School | 1.7% | 240 |
| Benton Harbor High School | 1.1% | 469 |
| Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy | 0.4% | 227 |
| Benton Harbor Charter School Academy | 0% | 418 |
| Discovery Enrichment Center | 0% | 80 |