St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 554 Hispanic students enrolled in Cass County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.9% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Cass County welcomed 6,456 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 8.6% of the student body to be the third highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 24 schools in Cass County, Union High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 115 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
Union High School	21.7	530
Dowagiac Middle School	19.8	379
Howard-Ellis Elementary School	7.9	598
Edwardsburg Middle School	6.4	636
Justus Gage Elementary School	13.1	283
Patrick Hamilton Elementary School	16.4	220
Edwardsburg High School	4.3	782
Kincheloe Elementary School	13.4	224
Sam Adams Elementary School	7.6	370
Cassopolis High School	7.3	259
Edwardsburg Primary School	5.4	331
Eagle Lake Elementary School	4.5	400
Marcellus Elementary School	3.8	264
Edwardsburg Intermediate School	2.5	360
Pathfinders Alternative Education	16	50
Cassopolis Middle School	2.9	207
Marcellus High School	3.7	164
Marcellus Middle School	4.3	139
Volinia Outcome Base School	10.4	48
Brookside Learning Center	5.6	72
North Pointe Center	3.8	53
Edwardsburg Alternative Learning Center	0	65
Cassopolis Alternative Education	0	22
Marcellus Community Education Center	0	1