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, American Indian students comprised 0.5% of the student body to be the second least represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 44 schools in Van Buren County, Michigan Online School recorded the largest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of eight 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Education Center | 3% | 33 |
| Bert Goens Learning Center | 2.5% | 79 |
| Hartford High School | 1.6% | 379 |
| Hartford Alternative Education | 1.6% | 122 |
| Bangor Career Academy | 1.4% | 74 |
| Maple Grove Elementary School | 1.3% | 300 |
| Cedar Street Community and Family Center | 1.3% | 76 |
| Sister Lakes Elementary School | 1.2% | 166 |
| South Haven High School | 1% | 588 |
| Paw Paw Later Elementary School | 0.9% | 453 |
| Lawton Elementary School | 0.8% | 397 |
| Bangor Middle School | 0.7% | 272 |
| Lawrence Junior-Senior High School | 0.6% | 179 |
| Hartford Middle School | 0.6% | 321 |
| Redwood Elementary School | 0.6% | 516 |
| Michigan Online School | 0.6% | 1,269 |
| Mattawan High School | 0.5% | 1,126 |
| Lincoln School | 0.4% | 251 |
| Bloomingdale Elementary School | 0.4% | 272 |
| Bangor High School | 0.4% | 264 |
| Mattawan Middle School | 0.4% | 823 |
| Mattawan Later Elementary School | 0.4% | 808 |
| Paw Paw Middle School | 0.4% | 498 |
| Davis Elementary School | 0.3% | 356 |
| Paw Paw High School | 0.3% | 638 |
| Paw Paw Early Elementary School | 0.2% | 481 |
| Mattawan Early Elementary School | 0.1% | 703 |
| Lawton High School | 0% | 279 |
| Lawrence Elementary School | 0% | 214 |
| Mattawan Early Childhood Education Center | 0% | 85 |
| Gobles Virtual Academy | 0% | 35 |
| Lawton Middle School | 0% | 325 |
| Wood School Bangor Township 8 | 0% | 24 |
| Lawton Accelerated Academic Center | 0% | 26 |
| Decatur Junior Senior High School | 0% | 399 |
| WAY South Haven | 0% | 44 |
| Bloomingdale Middle and High School | 0% | 516 |
| Gobles High School | 0% | 396 |
| South Walnut Elementary School | 0% | 341 |
| Covert Elementary School | 0% | 144 |
| Gobles Elementary School | 0% | 355 |
| Covert Middle School | 0% | 79 |
| Community-Based Transition Center | 0% | 70 |
| Covert High School | 0% | 101 |
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