St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 3,073 Hispanic students enrolled in Van Buren County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.6% 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, Hispanic students comprised 20.7% of the student body to be the second highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 44 schools in Van Buren County, Redwood Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 357 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
Redwood Elementary School	63	567
Bloomingdale Middle and High School	39.4	569
Hartford High School	55.2	404
Hartford Middle School	58.3	295
South Walnut Elementary School	41.5	335
Bangor Middle School	41.4	285
Bangor High School	41.7	276
South Haven High School	19.7	569
Decatur Junior Senior High School	22.5	405
Davis Elementary School	22.9	380
Bloomingdale Elementary School	27	311
Lawrence Elementary School	40.6	207
Lawrence Junior-Senior High School	37.7	212
Covert Elementary School	57.1	140
Michigan Online School	8.3	926
Mattawan High School	5.6	1,171
Sister Lakes Elementary School	35.9	181
Covert High School	63.1	103
Maple Grove Elementary School	19.9	302
Paw Paw Early Elementary School	11.7	472
Paw Paw Later Elementary School	11.7	462
Mattawan Middle School	6.5	817
Paw Paw Middle School	11.2	475
Mattawan Later Elementary School	6.6	782
Lawton High School	18	289
Paw Paw High School	7.2	692
Lawton Elementary School	12	401
Lawton Middle School	14	307
Gobles Elementary School	11.4	359
Covert Middle School	58.5	65
Lincoln School	15.4	234
Hartford Alternative Education	36.7	98
Mattawan Early Elementary School	4.7	744
Bangor Career Academy	24.5	102
Gobles High School	7.3	330
Bert Goens Learning Center	23	87
Community-Based Transition Center	27.1	70
Gobles Virtual Academy	22.9	48
Lawton Accelerated Academic Center	18.9	53
Cedar Street Community and Family Center	8.9	90
Mattawan Early Childhood Education Center	7.3	96
WAY South Haven	8.8	34
Wood School Bangor Township 8	4.2	24
Behavioral Education Center	0	41