St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

There were 323 African American students enrolled in Cass County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 4.4% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Cass County welcomed 6,275 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 5.1% of the student body to be the fourth most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 23 schools in Cass County, Howard-Ellis Elementary School recorded the largest enrollment of African American students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 85 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 African American students enrolment	Total enrollment
Patrick Hamilton Elementary School	17.9%	224
Howard-Ellis Elementary School	16.1%	529
North Pointe Center	12.3%	57
Pathfinders Alternative Education	12.2%	49
Cassopolis High School	10.3%	281
Sam Adams Elementary School	8.7%	368
Cassopolis Middle School	8%	188
Dowagiac Middle School	7.4%	393
Brookside Learning Center	7.4%	68
Justus Gage Elementary School	6.5%	262
Cassopolis Alternative Education	6.3%	16
Union High School	5.7%	507
Marcellus High School	2.5%	160
Edwardsburg Intermediate School	1.9%	361
Edwardsburg Primary School	1.2%	342
Edwardsburg High School	0.8%	773
Marcellus Middle School	0.7%	136
Edwardsburg Middle School	0.5%	612
Eagle Lake Elementary School	0.5%	385
Kincheloe Elementary School	0.5%	214
Marcellus Elementary School	0%	264
Edwardsburg Alternative Learning Center	0%	46
Volinia Outcome Base School	0%	40