St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 350 African American students enrolled in Cass County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 8.9% 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, African American students comprised 5.3% of the student body to be the fourth highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 23 schools in Cass County, Howard-Ellis Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 76 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 African American students enrolment	Total enrollment
Howard-Ellis Elementary School	12.9	591
Patrick Hamilton Elementary School	23.3	236
Cassopolis High School	12.9	271
Union High School	6.4	532
Dowagiac Middle School	6.1	408
Sam Adams Elementary School	6.8	370
Cassopolis Middle School	11.4	210
Justus Gage Elementary School	6.9	274
Pathfinders Alternative Education	23.7	38
Eagle Lake Elementary School	2.3	349
North Pointe Center	13.8	58
Edwardsburg High School	0.7	815
Brookside Learning Center	10	60
Edwardsburg Primary School	1.4	363
Marcellus High School	2.5	162
Edwardsburg Middle School	0.5	643
Edwardsburg Intermediate School	0.7	404
Marcellus Middle School	1.5	134
Marcellus Elementary School	0.3	300
Volinia Outcome Base School	3.1	32
Cassopolis Alternative Education	7.7	13
Kincheloe Elementary School	0	221
Edwardsburg Alternative Learning Center	0	68