St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 16,106 students enrolled in Van Buren County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 1.1% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The county's data showed that 10th grade had the biggest classes with 1,432 students during the 2023-24 school year, while pre-kindergarten saw the smallest enrollment that year with just 501 students.

Countywide, Mattawan Consolidated School welcomed the most students during the 2023-24 school year.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the article are located in cities associated with Van Buren County.

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.

District	Total enrollment in 2022-23	Total enrollment in 2023-24	% Change from Previous Year
Mattawan Consolidated School	3,610	3,553	-1.6
Paw Paw Public School District	2,191	2,135	-2.6
South Haven Public Schools	1,798	1,779	-1.1
Hartford Public Schools	1,364	1,349	-1.1
Michigan Online School	926	1,236	33.5
Lawton Community School District	1,050	1,040	-1
Bloomingdale Public School District	1,090	1,033	-5.2
Bangor Public Schools (Van Buren)	998	972	-2.6
Gobles Public School District	737	789	7.1
Decatur Public Schools	785	752	-4.2
Van Buren ISD	629	684	8.7
Lawrence Public Schools	419	415	-1
Covert Public Schools	308	344	11.7
Bangor Township School District #8	24	25	4.2