St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 10,114 white students enrolled in Van Buren County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.4% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Van Buren County welcomed 14,810 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, white students comprised 68.3% of the student body to be the highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 44 schools in Van Buren County, Mattawan High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 998 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 white students enrolment	Total enrollment
Mattawan High School	85.2	1,171
Mattawan Middle School	84.6	817
Mattawan Later Elementary School	84.4	782
Mattawan Early Elementary School	86.6	744
Paw Paw High School	87	692
Michigan Online School	55.8	926
Paw Paw Middle School	84.4	475
Paw Paw Later Elementary School	82.3	462
Paw Paw Early Elementary School	79.9	472
South Haven High School	58.3	569
Lawton Elementary School	81.8	401
Bloomingdale Middle and High School	53.3	569
Gobles Elementary School	81.3	359
Gobles High School	87	330
Decatur Junior Senior High School	68.1	405
Davis Elementary School	68.2	380
Lawton Middle School	77.9	307
Lawton High School	77.5	289
Bloomingdale Elementary School	67.5	311
Maple Grove Elementary School	67.2	302
Redwood Elementary School	33.9	567
Hartford High School	38.1	404
South Walnut Elementary School	45.1	335
Lincoln School	59.8	234
Bangor High School	48.2	276
Lawrence Junior-Senior High School	59.9	212
Bangor Middle School	43.2	285
Lawrence Elementary School	53.6	207
Hartford Middle School	36.9	295
Sister Lakes Elementary School	54.7	181
Cedar Street Community and Family Center	84.4	90
Mattawan Early Childhood Education Center	75	96
Bangor Career Academy	57.8	102
Bert Goens Learning Center	67.8	87
Hartford Alternative Education	52	98
Community-Based Transition Center	58.6	70
Lawton Accelerated Academic Center	77.4	53
Behavioral Education Center	87.8	41
Gobles Virtual Academy	70.8	48
Covert Elementary School	20	140
WAY South Haven	52.9	34
Wood School Bangor Township 8	66.7	24
Covert High School	11.7	103
Covert Middle School	13.8	65