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/
Boys made up 51.1% of the county student body, while the other 48.9% were girls.
Data also showed that white students made up 61.3% of the student body, the highest percentage in Berrien County schools, followed by 18.8% African American, 11.3% Hispanic, 5.9% multiracial, 2% Asian, 0.5% American Indian and 0.3% Hawaiian students.
St. Joseph High School had the highest enrollment among Berrien County's 75 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 933 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.
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 | Total enrollment in 2023-24 | Total enrollment in 2024-25 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph High School | 942 | 933 | -1% |
| Lakeshore High School | 851 | 843 | -0.9% |
| Niles Senior High School | 827 | 828 | 0.1% |
| Upton Middle School | 663 | 690 | 4.1% |
| Lakeshore Middle School | 609 | 612 | 0.5% |
| Buchanan High School | 524 | 561 | 7.1% |
| Berrien Springs High School | 551 | 554 | 0.5% |
| Ballard Elementary School | 576 | 516 | -10.4% |
| Ring Lardner Middle School | 537 | 510 | -5% |
| Benton Harbor High School | 506 | 469 | -7.3% |
| Clarke School | 465 | 462 | -0.6% |
| Berrien Springs Middle School | 431 | 424 | -1.6% |
| Lincoln School | 425 | 423 | -0.5% |
| Benton Harbor Charter School Academy | 455 | 418 | -8.1% |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 413 | 412 | -0.2% |
| Brown School | 409 | 410 | 0.2% |
| Eastside Connections School | 430 | 403 | -6.3% |
| Sylvester Elementary School | 368 | 394 | 7.1% |
| Stewart Elementary School | 413 | 391 | -5.3% |
| Countryside Academy Middle-High School | 372 | 386 | 3.8% |
| Countryside Academy Elementary | 380 | 384 | 1.1% |
| Brandywine Elementary School | 376 | 379 | 0.8% |
| Hollywood Elementary School | 386 | 377 | -2.3% |
| Brandywine Senior High School | 378 | 366 | -3.2% |
| Watervliet Senior High School | 376 | 360 | -4.3% |
| Buchanan Middle School | 345 | 358 | 3.8% |
| Coloma Elementary School | 391 | 356 | -9% |
| Moccasin Elementary School | 366 | 354 | -3.3% |
| Mars Elementary School | 369 | 338 | -8.4% |
| Coloma High School | 366 | 336 | -8.2% |
| South Elementary School | 347 | 335 | -3.5% |
| North Elementary School | 317 | 312 | -1.6% |
| Watervliet Middle School | 297 | 309 | 4% |
| Bridgman Elementary School | 322 | 309 | -4% |
| Merritt Elementary School | 320 | 304 | -5% |
| River Valley Middle-High School | 282 | 265 | -6% |
| F. C. Reed Middle School | 255 | 261 | 2.4% |
| Fair Plain Middle School | 249 | 240 | -3.6% |
| Bridgman High School | 245 | 239 | -2.4% |
| Lybrook Elementary School | 252 | 233 | -7.5% |
| Ottawa Elementary School | 228 | 230 | 0.9% |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School | 234 | 229 | -2.1% |
| Coloma Junior High School | 240 | 228 | -5% |
| Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy | 215 | 227 | 5.6% |
| Berrien Springs Virtual Academy | 144 | 213 | 47.9% |
| New Buffalo Elementary School | 216 | 211 | -2.3% |
| Three Oaks Elementary School | 202 | 195 | -3.5% |
| Brandywine Middle School | 177 | 183 | 3.4% |
| Eau Claire High School | 191 | 180 | -5.8% |
| Coloma Intermediate School | 170 | 175 | 2.9% |
| New Buffalo Senior High School | 169 | 172 | 1.8% |
| Blossomland Learning Center | 170 | 159 | -6.5% |
| Fair Plain East Elementary School | 166 | 150 | -9.6% |
| Eau Claire Middle School | 147 | 139 | -5.4% |
| Niles Cedar Lane | 119 | 134 | 12.6% |
| Lighthouse Education Center | 120 | 134 | 11.7% |
| New Buffalo Middle School | 123 | 133 | 8.1% |
| Bridge Academy of Southwest Michigan | 121 | 112 | -7.4% |
| WAY Niles | 108 | 95 | -12% |
| WAY Watervliet High School | 99 | 90 | -9.1% |
| Discovery Enrichment Center | 86 | 80 | -7% |
| Berrien Springs Discovery Academy | 93 | 74 | -20.4% |
| Riverside School | 73 | 72 | -1.4% |
| River School | 60 | 70 | 16.7% |
| Brandywine Innovation Academy | 70 | 69 | -1.4% |
| Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center | 51 | 60 | 17.6% |
| Buchanan Virtual Academy | 54 | 49 | -9.3% |
| Southside Special Education School | 64 | 45 | -29.7% |
| WAY Eau Claire | 26 | 35 | 34.6% |
| Niles Comm Schools Adult Education | 13 | 24 | 84.6% |
| Niles Virtual School | 14 | 18 | 28.6% |
| Buchanan Step Up | 26 | 15 | -42.3% |
| Northside Child Development Center | 15 | 13 | -13.3% |
| Berrien County Juvenile Center | 10 | 10 | 0% |
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