St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 38 American Indian students enrolled in Cass County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 19.1% 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, American Indian students comprised 0.6% of the student body to be the third lowest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 23 schools in Cass County, Patrick Hamilton Elementary School and Edwardsburg High School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of six 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 American Indian students enrolment	Total enrollment
Patrick Hamilton Elementary School	2.5	236
Edwardsburg High School	0.7	815
Kincheloe Elementary School	2.3	221
Edwardsburg Intermediate School	1	404
Union High School	0.4	532
Dowagiac Middle School	0.5	408
Sam Adams Elementary School	0.5	370
Justus Gage Elementary School	0.7	274
Edwardsburg Primary School	0.6	363
Volinia Outcome Base School	6.3	32
Howard-Ellis Elementary School	0.2	591
Cassopolis High School	0.4	271
Cassopolis Middle School	0.5	210
Eagle Lake Elementary School	0.3	349
Edwardsburg Middle School	0.2	643
Pathfinders Alternative Education	0	38
North Pointe Center	0	58
Brookside Learning Center	0	60
Marcellus High School	0	162
Marcellus Middle School	0	134
Marcellus Elementary School	0	300
Cassopolis Alternative Education	0	13
Edwardsburg Alternative Learning Center	0	68