St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 10,137 white students enrolled in Van Buren County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 0.2% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Van Buren County welcomed 14,926 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, white students comprised 67.9% of the student body to be the highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 44 schools in Van Buren County, Mattawan High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 944 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 white students enrolment	Total enrollment
Mattawan High School	83.9	1,125
Mattawan Middle School	85.5	833
Michigan Online School	55.3	1,236
Mattawan Later Elementary School	83.9	812
Mattawan Early Elementary School	84.9	696
Paw Paw High School	85.7	665
Paw Paw Early Elementary School	80.3	482
Paw Paw Middle School	83.5	461
Paw Paw Later Elementary School	79.2	447
South Haven High School	61.2	569
Gobles High School	84.1	383
Lawton Elementary School	80.4	398
Bloomingdale Middle and High School	54.2	563
Gobles Elementary School	79.4	374
Decatur Junior Senior High School	71.5	403
Lawton Middle School	78.6	313
Davis Elementary School	67.6	349
Lawton High School	77.1	292
Maple Grove Elementary School	66.9	290
Redwood Elementary School	35.4	528
Bloomingdale Elementary School	63.1	287
South Walnut Elementary School	50.7	341
Hartford High School	40.3	385
Lincoln School	63	227
Bangor Middle School	44.9	294
Lawrence Elementary School	56	225
Bangor High School	45.1	277
Hartford Middle School	34.4	314
Lawrence Junior-Senior High School	54.2	190
Sister Lakes Elementary School	58.3	168
Mattawan Early Childhood Education Center	89.7	87
Hartford Alternative Education	58.2	122
Cedar Street Community and Family Center	78.8	80
Bert Goens Learning Center	65.4	81
Community-Based Transition Center	64.3	70
Bangor Career Academy	55	60
Covert Elementary School	21.3	155
Behavioral Education Center	87.5	32
Lawton Accelerated Academic Center	70.3	37
Gobles Virtual Academy	78.1	32
Wood School Bangor Township 8	84	25
WAY South Haven	55.2	29
Covert High School	12.1	116
Covert Middle School	15.1	73