St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 15,929 students enrolled in Van Buren County school districts in the 2022-23 school year, 0.9% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The county's data showed that ninth grade had the biggest classes with 1,460 students during the 2022-23 school year, while pre-kindergarten saw the smallest enrollment that year with just 431 students.

Countywide, Mattawan Consolidated School welcomed the most students during the 2022-23 school year.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the article are located in cities associated with Van Buren County.

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 have widened. Black and Hispanic students' average math proficiency dropped by 7% in 2022, to 13.5% and 28.2%, respectively.

District	Total enrollment in 2021-22	Total enrollment in 2022-23	% Change from Previous Year
Mattawan Consolidated School	3,585	3,610	0.7
Paw Paw Public School District	2,185	2,191	0.3
South Haven Public Schools	1,818	1,798	-1.1
Hartford Public Schools	1,336	1,364	2.1
Bloomingdale Public School District	1,104	1,090	-1.3
Lawton Community School District	1,009	1,050	4.1
Bangor Public Schools (Van Buren)	1,043	998	-4.3
Michigan Online School	840	926	10.2
Decatur Public Schools	737	785	6.5
Gobles Public School District	733	737	0.5
Van Buren ISD	592	629	6.3
Lawrence Public Schools	458	419	-8.5
Covert Public Schools	321	308	-4
Bangor Township School District #8	26	24	-7.7