St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 48 American Indian students enrolled in Cass County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 26.3% 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, American Indian students comprised 0.7% of the student body to be the third lowest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 24 schools in Cass County, Patrick Hamilton Elementary School and Edwardsburg High School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of seven 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 American Indian students enrolment	Total enrollment
Patrick Hamilton Elementary School	3.2	220
Edwardsburg High School	0.9	782
Dowagiac Middle School	1.6	379
Justus Gage Elementary School	2.1	283
Kincheloe Elementary School	1.8	224
Edwardsburg Middle School	0.5	636
Howard-Ellis Elementary School	0.3	598
Union High School	0.4	530
Sam Adams Elementary School	0.5	370
Cassopolis Middle School	1	207
Eagle Lake Elementary School	0.5	400
Edwardsburg Intermediate School	0.6	360
Cassopolis High School	0.4	259
Pathfinders Alternative Education	2	50
Volinia Outcome Base School	2.1	48
Brookside Learning Center	0	72
North Pointe Center	0	53
Cassopolis Alternative Education	0	22
Marcellus High School	0	164
Edwardsburg Primary School	0	331
Marcellus Middle School	0	139
Marcellus Elementary School	0	264
Edwardsburg Alternative Learning Center	0	65
Marcellus Community Education Center	0	1