St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 338 African American students enrolled in Cass County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.4% less 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, African American students comprised 5.2% of the student body to be the fourth highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 24 schools in Cass County, Howard-Ellis Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 79 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 African American students enrolment	Total enrollment
Howard-Ellis Elementary School	13.2	598
Patrick Hamilton Elementary School	17.7	220
Union High School	7	530
Cassopolis High School	10.8	259
Dowagiac Middle School	6.9	379
Sam Adams Elementary School	7	370
Justus Gage Elementary School	8.5	283
Cassopolis Middle School	11.1	207
Eagle Lake Elementary School	2.8	400
Edwardsburg High School	1.2	782
Brookside Learning Center	11.1	72
North Pointe Center	15.1	53
Cassopolis Alternative Education	22.7	22
Edwardsburg Middle School	0.6	636
Pathfinders Alternative Education	6	50
Marcellus High School	1.8	164
Edwardsburg Primary School	0.6	331
Edwardsburg Intermediate School	0.6	360
Marcellus Middle School	0.7	139
Kincheloe Elementary School	0	224
Marcellus Elementary School	0	264
Volinia Outcome Base School	0	48
Edwardsburg Alternative Learning Center	0	65
Marcellus Community Education Center	0	1