St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 103 American Indian students enrolled in Berrien County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 14.9% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Berrien County welcomed 21,077 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 0.5% of the student body to be the second least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 74 schools in Berrien County, Three Oaks Elementary School recorded the largest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of six students.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,427,386 students enrolled in Michigan schools, a figure 4.8% below the pre-pandemic total of 1,499,552 in 2019-20, with white students seeing the largest decline of approximately 3%.

Academic performance in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the 2024 NAEP results, the share of students reaching the basic benchmark in core subjects is about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019—except for fourth-grade math, which saw a decline of just 2 points.

Achievement gaps between ethnic groups also persist. On average, Hispanic students scored 15 points below white students. The gap was even wider for Black students, who scored about 30 points lower than their white peers.

The 2025 education budget, approved by Gov. Whitmer last July, totals $23.4 billion—$900 million less than the previous year’s budget. K-12 schools are working with $20.6 billion, a reduction from the $21.5 billion allocated in 2024.

However, some school superintendents and educators were concerned about the new budget. "Schools cannot function properly without adequate funding for safety and mental health," stated Rep. David Martin, R-Davison, referring to a significant cut of around $301 million from school safety and mental health programs. Based on the current bill, the program will receive just $26.5 million.

School name	% of American Indian students enrolment	Total enrollment
WAY Watervliet High School	3.3%	90
Three Oaks Elementary School	3.1%	195
Southside Special Education School	2.2%	45
Niles Cedar Lane	2.2%	134
Ottawa Elementary School	1.7%	230
Brandywine Middle School	1.6%	183
Mars Elementary School	1.5%	338
Watervliet Middle School	1.3%	309
Merritt Elementary School	1.3%	304
Eastside Connections School	1.2%	403
WAY Niles	1.1%	95
Brandywine Elementary School	1.1%	379
Brandywine Senior High School	1.1%	366
Roosevelt Elementary School	1%	412
North Elementary School	1%	312
Buchanan High School	0.9%	561
Bridge Academy of Southwest Michigan	0.9%	112
New Buffalo Elementary School	0.9%	211
New Buffalo Middle School	0.8%	133
Watervliet Senior High School	0.8%	360
Lighthouse Education Center	0.7%	134
Berrien Springs Middle School	0.7%	424
Buchanan Middle School	0.6%	358
Coloma Elementary School	0.6%	356
Coloma Intermediate School	0.6%	175
Ballard Elementary School	0.6%	516
St. Joseph High School	0.5%	933
Niles Senior High School	0.5%	828
Brown School	0.5%	410
Bridgman High School	0.4%	239
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School	0.4%	229
F. C. Reed Middle School	0.4%	261
Coloma High School	0.3%	336
Stewart Elementary School	0.3%	391
South Elementary School	0.3%	335
Sylvester Elementary School	0.3%	394
Countryside Academy Elementary	0.3%	384
Benton Harbor High School	0.2%	469
Ring Lardner Middle School	0.2%	510
Lincoln School	0.2%	423
Lakeshore Middle School	0.2%	612
Benton Harbor Charter School Academy	0.2%	418
Upton Middle School	0.1%	690
Blossomland Learning Center	0%	159
River School	0%	70
Berrien Springs Discovery Academy	0%	74
Countryside Academy Middle-High School	0%	386
Berrien County Juvenile Center	0%	10
Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy	0%	227
Discovery Enrichment Center	0%	80
Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center	0%	60
Northside Child Development Center	0%	13
Eau Claire Middle School	0%	139
Niles Comm Schools Adult Education	0%	24
Niles Virtual School	0%	18
Buchanan Virtual Academy	0%	49
WAY Eau Claire	0%	35
Lybrook Elementary School	0%	233
Buchanan Step Up	0%	15
New Buffalo Senior High School	0%	172
River Valley Middle-High School	0%	265
Hollywood Elementary School	0%	377
Berrien Springs Virtual Academy	0%	213
Lakeshore High School	0%	843
Berrien Springs High School	0%	554
Coloma Junior High School	0%	228
Eau Claire High School	0%	180
Brandywine Innovation Academy	0%	69
Riverside School	0%	72
Bridgman Elementary School	0%	309
Fair Plain Middle School	0%	240
Moccasin Elementary School	0%	354
Fair Plain East Elementary School	0%	150
Clarke School	0%	462