Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/
Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/
Data showed that Van Buren County welcomed 14,877 students during the 2024-25 school year. Among them, white students comprised 67.3% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 44 schools in Van Buren County, Mattawan High School recorded the largest enrollment of white students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 955 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 white students enrolment | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Mattawan Middle School | 86% | 823 |
| Mattawan Early Elementary School | 85.2% | 703 |
| Behavioral Education Center | 84.8% | 33 |
| Mattawan High School | 84.8% | 1,126 |
| Mattawan Later Elementary School | 84.4% | 808 |
| Gobles Virtual Academy | 82.9% | 35 |
| Gobles High School | 82.6% | 396 |
| Paw Paw Middle School | 82.5% | 498 |
| Paw Paw High School | 82.1% | 638 |
| Lawton Elementary School | 81.9% | 397 |
| Mattawan Early Childhood Education Center | 81.2% | 85 |
| Lawton Middle School | 79.1% | 325 |
| Cedar Street Community and Family Center | 78.9% | 76 |
| Gobles Elementary School | 78.9% | 355 |
| Paw Paw Later Elementary School | 78.6% | 453 |
| Paw Paw Early Elementary School | 78.2% | 481 |
| Lawton High School | 77.8% | 279 |
| Wood School Bangor Township 8 | 70.8% | 24 |
| Decatur Junior Senior High School | 68.7% | 399 |
| Maple Grove Elementary School | 68.3% | 300 |
| Davis Elementary School | 66.3% | 356 |
| Community-Based Transition Center | 65.7% | 70 |
| Lawton Accelerated Academic Center | 65.4% | 26 |
| WAY South Haven | 63.6% | 44 |
| Lincoln School | 62.9% | 251 |
| South Haven High School | 62.6% | 588 |
| Bangor Career Academy | 62.2% | 74 |
| Bloomingdale Elementary School | 61.4% | 272 |
| Hartford Alternative Education | 60.7% | 122 |
| Bert Goens Learning Center | 59.5% | 79 |
| Sister Lakes Elementary School | 56.6% | 166 |
| Bloomingdale Middle and High School | 54.5% | 516 |
| Lawrence Junior-Senior High School | 54.2% | 179 |
| Michigan Online School | 53% | 1,269 |
| Lawrence Elementary School | 49.1% | 214 |
| Bangor Middle School | 48.2% | 272 |
| South Walnut Elementary School | 48.1% | 341 |
| Bangor High School | 42.8% | 264 |
| Hartford Middle School | 37.4% | 321 |
| Hartford High School | 35.4% | 379 |
| Redwood Elementary School | 34.3% | 516 |
| Covert Middle School | 15.2% | 79 |
| Covert Elementary School | 13.2% | 144 |
| Covert High School | 11.9% | 101 |
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