St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 837 multiracial students enrolled in Van Buren County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 5.5% 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, multiracial students comprised 5.7% of the student body to be the third highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 44 schools in Van Buren County, Michigan Online School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 71 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 multiracial students enrolment	Total enrollment
Michigan Online School	7.7	926
South Haven High School	10.9	569
Mattawan High School	4.4	1,171
Mattawan Early Elementary School	6.5	744
Mattawan Later Elementary School	6	782
Lincoln School	15	234
Davis Elementary School	8.4	380
Mattawan Middle School	3.9	817
Decatur Junior Senior High School	7.7	405
Maple Grove Elementary School	9.9	302
Bangor Middle School	10.2	285
Paw Paw Early Elementary School	6.1	472
South Walnut Elementary School	7.8	335
Paw Paw High School	3.5	692
Lawton Middle School	7.2	307
Paw Paw Later Elementary School	4.5	462
Gobles Elementary School	5.8	359
Lawton Elementary School	5	401
Gobles High School	4.5	330
Paw Paw Middle School	2.7	475
Hartford High School	3	404
Bloomingdale Elementary School	3.9	311
Mattawan Early Childhood Education Center	12.5	96
Bloomingdale Middle and High School	1.9	569
Bangor High School	4	276
Lawrence Elementary School	4.8	207
Lawton High School	3.5	289
Bangor Career Academy	9.8	102
Hartford Middle School	3.1	295
Sister Lakes Elementary School	5	181
Covert Elementary School	5.7	140
Hartford Alternative Education	8.2	98
WAY South Haven	23.5	34
Wood School Bangor Township 8	29.2	24
Covert Middle School	9.2	65
Community-Based Transition Center	8.6	70
Cedar Street Community and Family Center	6.7	90
Redwood Elementary School	0.9	567
Covert High School	4.9	103
Lawrence Junior-Senior High School	1.9	212
Bert Goens Learning Center	3.4	87
Behavioral Education Center	7.3	41
Lawton Accelerated Academic Center	3.8	53
Gobles Virtual Academy	2.1	48