St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

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

Of the 21,620 students attending Berrien County schools, 62.1% were white. African American students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 18.8% of Berrien County students.

In the previous school year, white students were still the most common group in Berrien County, representing 62.1% of the student body.

Berrien Springs Middle School had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, which included 39% white students, 28.4% African American students, 17.2% Hispanic students, 8.3% multiracial students, 5.9% Asian students, 1% Hawaiian students, and 0.2% American Indian students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1% 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
Ballard Elementary School	White	60.8%	538
Benton Harbor Charter School Academy	African American	96.4%	442
Benton Harbor High School	African American	94.9%	495
Berrien County Juvenile Center	African American	90.9%	11
Berrien Springs Discovery Academy	White	63.5%	85
Berrien Springs High School	White	43.5%	561
Berrien Springs Middle School	White	39%	408
Berrien Springs Virtual Academy	White	79.1%	134
Blossomland Learning Center	White	58.1%	167
Brandywine Elementary School	White	83.9%	354
Brandywine Innovation Academy	White	77.2%	92
Brandywine Middle School	White	80.1%	191
Brandywine Senior High School	White	80.7%	363
Bridge Academy of Southwest Michigan	African American	60.9%	92
Bridgman Elementary School	White	84.2%	342
Bridgman High School	White	86.7%	264
Brown School	White	74.1%	398
Buchanan High School	White	87.9%	522
Buchanan Middle School	White	84%	331
Buchanan Step Up	White	66.7%	33
Buchanan Virtual Academy	White	80.5%	82
Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center	African American	87.2%	86
Chikaming Elementary School	White	87.7%	114
Clarke School	White	74.9%	483
Coloma Elementary School	White	62.4%	378
Coloma High School	White	65.3%	369
Coloma Intermediate School	White	66%	153
Coloma Junior High School	White	68.5%	254
Countryside Academy Elementary	African American	52%	406
Countryside Academy Middle-High School	African American	52.3%	352
Discovery Enrichment Center	African American	90.9%	99
Eastside Connections School	White	66.2%	432
Eau Claire High School	Hispanic	36.8%	190
Eau Claire Middle School	Hispanic	44.9%	158
F. C. Reed Middle School	White	85.6%	243
Fair Plain East Elementary School	African American	88.8%	169
Fair Plain Middle School	African American	92.4%	288
Hollywood Elementary School	White	86.1%	403
Lakeshore High School	White	80%	856
Lakeshore Middle School	White	82%	611
Lighthouse Education Center	White	61.7%	115
Lincoln School	White	75.5%	421
Lybrook Elementary School	Hispanic	38.9%	280
Mars Elementary School	White	42.9%	366
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School	African American	92%	287
Merritt Elementary School	White	76.6%	304
Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy	African American	98.6%	217
Moccasin Elementary School	White	82.8%	360
New Buffalo Elementary School	White	84.5%	220
New Buffalo Middle School	White	73.2%	138
New Buffalo Senior High School	White	82.6%	178
Niles Cedar Lane	White	58.9%	112
Niles Comm Schools Adult Education	White	78.6%	14
Niles Senior High School	White	68.8%	834
Niles Virtual School	White	56.5%	23
North Elementary School	White	72.9%	317
Northside Child Development Center	White	100%	15
Ottawa Elementary School	White	80.2%	222
Ring Lardner Middle School	White	69.5%	554
River School	White	41.5%	65
River Valley Middle-High School	White	82.6%	287
Riverside School	White	61.6%	73
Roosevelt Elementary School	White	79.2%	404
South Elementary School	White	78.3%	359
Southside Special Education School	White	73.9%	46
St. Joseph High School	White	75.3%	988
Stewart Elementary School	White	77.3%	414
Sylvester Elementary School	White	43.9%	369
Three Oaks Elementary School	White	88.5%	96
Upton Middle School	White	72.5%	665
WAY Eau Claire	White	61.5%	26
WAY Niles	White	68.3%	126
WAY Watervliet High School	White	72.6%	95
Watervliet Middle School	White	73.6%	288
Watervliet Senior High School	White	72.3%	393