St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

Among the many ethnicities represented in Allegan County schools, white was the most prevalent ethnicity among Allegan County students in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of the 17,979 students attending Allegan County schools, 82.3% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 10.8% of Allegan County students.

In the previous school year, white students were still the most common group in Allegan County, representing 82.3% of the student body.

Pullman Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, which included 47.6% Hispanic students, 42.4% white students, 5.7% multiracial students, 2.9% African American students, and 1.4% Hawaiian students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 0.2% when compared to the previous year.

Overall student enrollment in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels, with white students experiencing the largest decline at 6.5%.

Academic performance has also suffered, with the state's average NAEP score dropping by 6.5 points and ethnic achievement gaps widening. Black and Hispanic students' average math proficiency dropped by 7% in 2022, to 13.5% and 28.2%, respectively.

School name	Most represented ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Allegan Alternative High School	White	87.8%	123
Allegan High School	White	84.1%	648
Allegan Online K-8	White	91.3%	46
Baseline Middle School	White	59.7%	412
Bentheim Elementary School	White	89.7%	214
Bessie B. Baker School	White	84.8%	297
Blue Star Elementary School	White	75.8%	219
Career Connections Academy	White	82.5%	40
Dawson Elementary School	White	82.2%	297
Dix Street Elementary School	White	87.7%	316
Dorr School	White	86%	343
Douglas Elementary School	White	92.1%	353
Fennville Elementary School	Hispanic	52.4%	523
Fennville Middle School	Hispanic	49.7%	298
Fennville Public High School	Hispanic	54.2%	378
Gilkey Elementary School	White	89.3%	393
Glenn Public School	White	78.8%	33
Hamilton Elementary School	White	87.3%	355
Hamilton Flex	White	81.9%	547
Hamilton High School	White	88.6%	781
Hamilton Middle School	White	88.2%	719
Hillside Learning Behavior Center	White	79.7%	138
Hopkins Elementary School	White	90.4%	386
Hopkins High School	White	89.6%	498
Hopkins Middle School	White	92.8%	349
Innocademy Allegan Campus	White	63.8%	94
L. E. White Middle School	White	84.1%	447
Martin High School	White	83.4%	332
North Shore Elementary School	White	61.9%	247
North Ward Elementary School	White	85.3%	34
Otsego High School	White	90.9%	751
Otsego Middle School	White	90.7%	527
Otsego West Campus High School	White	96.3%	27
Outlook Academy	White	92.7%	41
Outlook Academy Youth Home Campus	White	62.5%	16
Paris Ridge Elementary School	White	83.1%	325
Pearl Alternative/Adult Education School	White	56.8%	44
Pine Street Elementary School	White	82.5%	401
Pine Trails Elementary School	White	85.5%	344
Plainwell High School	White	88.2%	815
Plainwell Middle School	White	86.7%	596
Pullman Elementary School	Hispanic	47.6%	210
RJ Steeby School	White	89.7%	272
Renaissance High School	White	84.5%	84
Robert D. Brandon Elementary School	White	84.9%	278
Sandyview Elementary School	White	92.1%	63
Saugatuck High School	White	84.6%	259
Saugatuck Middle School	White	91.1%	190
Starr Elementary School	White	83.3%	460
Sycamore Elementary School	White	93.4%	243
Washington Street Elementary School	White	87.6%	450
Wayland High School	White	87.1%	828
Wayland Union Middle School	White	84%	649
West Ward Elementary School	White	85.4%	246