St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 528 Hispanic students enrolled in Cass County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 1.7% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Cass County welcomed 6,552 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 8.1% of the student body to be the third highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 23 schools in Cass County, Union High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 108 students.

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.

School name	% of Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Union High School	20.3	532
Dowagiac Middle School	19.1	408
Howard-Ellis Elementary School	7.8	591
Edwardsburg Middle School	6.5	643
Justus Gage Elementary School	12.8	274
Patrick Hamilton Elementary School	14.4	236
Edwardsburg High School	3.9	815
Kincheloe Elementary School	13.1	221
Sam Adams Elementary School	6.2	370
Cassopolis High School	7.4	271
Edwardsburg Primary School	4.1	363
Edwardsburg Intermediate School	3.5	404
Marcellus Elementary School	4	300
Pathfinders Alternative Education	21.1	38
Eagle Lake Elementary School	2	349
Cassopolis Middle School	2.4	210
Brookside Learning Center	6.7	60
North Pointe Center	6.9	58
Volinia Outcome Base School	12.5	32
Edwardsburg Alternative Learning Center	4.4	68
Marcellus Middle School	1.5	134
Marcellus High School	1.2	162
Cassopolis Alternative Education	7.7	13