There were 14,877 students enrolled in Van Buren County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 0.3% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
Boys made up 50.9% of the county student body, while the other 49.1% were girls.
Data also showed that white students made up 67.3% of the student body, the highest percentage in Van Buren County schools, followed by 21% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 4.5% African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% American Indian and less than 0.1% Hawaiian students.
Michigan Online School had the highest enrollment among Van Buren County’s 45 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 1,269 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Online School | 1,236 | 1,269 | 2.7% |
| Mattawan High School | 1,125 | 1,126 | 0.1% |
| Mattawan Middle School | 833 | 823 | -1.2% |
| Mattawan Later Elementary School | 812 | 808 | -0.5% |
| Mattawan Early Elementary School | 696 | 703 | 1% |
| Paw Paw High School | 665 | 638 | -4.1% |
| South Haven High School | 569 | 588 | 3.3% |
| Bloomingdale Middle and High School | 563 | 516 | -8.3% |
| Redwood Elementary School | 528 | 516 | -2.3% |
| Paw Paw Middle School | 461 | 498 | 8% |
| Paw Paw Early Elementary School | 482 | 481 | -0.2% |
| Paw Paw Later Elementary School | 447 | 453 | 1.3% |
| Decatur Junior Senior High School | 403 | 399 | -1% |
| Lawton Elementary School | 398 | 397 | -0.3% |
| Gobles High School | 383 | 396 | 3.4% |
| Hartford High School | 385 | 379 | -1.6% |
| Davis Elementary School | 349 | 356 | 2% |
| Gobles Elementary School | 374 | 355 | -5.1% |
| South Walnut Elementary School | 341 | 341 | 0% |
| Lawton Middle School | 313 | 325 | 3.8% |
| Hartford Middle School | 314 | 321 | 2.2% |
| Maple Grove Elementary School | 290 | 300 | 3.4% |
| Lawton High School | 292 | 279 | -4.5% |
| Bangor Middle School | 294 | 272 | -7.5% |
| Bloomingdale Elementary School | 287 | 272 | -5.2% |
| Bangor High School | 277 | 264 | -4.7% |
| Lincoln School | 227 | 251 | 10.6% |
| Lawrence Elementary School | 225 | 214 | -4.9% |
| Lawrence Junior-Senior High School | 190 | 179 | -5.8% |
| Sister Lakes Elementary School | 168 | 166 | -1.2% |
| Covert Elementary School | 155 | 144 | -7.1% |
| Hartford Alternative Education | 122 | 122 | 0% |
| Covert High School | 116 | 101 | -12.9% |
| Mattawan Early Childhood Education Center | 87 | 85 | -2.3% |
| Bert Goens Learning Center | 81 | 79 | -2.5% |
| Covert Middle School | 73 | 79 | 8.2% |
| Cedar Street Community and Family Center | 80 | 76 | -5% |
| Bangor Career Academy | 60 | 74 | 23.3% |
| Community-Based Transition Center | 70 | 70 | 0% |
| WAY South Haven | 29 | 44 | 51.7% |
| Gobles Virtual Academy | 32 | 35 | 9.4% |
| Behavioral Education Center | 32 | 33 | 3.1% |
| Lawton Accelerated Academic Center | 37 | 26 | -29.7% |
| Wood School Bangor Township 8 | 25 | 24 | -4% |