There were 12 American Indian students enrolled in Ionia County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 20% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
Data showed that Ionia County welcomed 8,039 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 0.1% of the student body to be the second lowest represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 27 schools in Ionia County, Saranac Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of four students.
Overall student enrollment in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels, with white students experiencing the largest decline at 6.5%.
Academic performance has also suffered, with the state’s average NAEP score dropping by 6.5 points and ethnic achievement gaps have widened. Black and Hispanic students’ average math proficiency dropped by 7% in 2022, to 13.5% and 28.2%, respectively.
| School name | % of American Indian students enrolment | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Saranac Elementary School | 0.9 | 444 |
| Portland High School | 0.3 | 688 |
| Lakewood Elementary School | 0.2 | 500 |
| Freedom Acres School | 0.8 | 131 |
| Oakwood Elementary School | 0.2 | 476 |
| Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility | 11.1 | 9 |
| Emerson School | 0.6 | 171 |
| Twin Rivers Elementary School | 0.5 | 192 |
| Ionia High School | 0 | 801 |
| Belding High School | 0 | 508 |
| Westwood Elementary School | 0 | 423 |
| Woodview Elementary School | 0 | 348 |
| Belding Middle School | 0 | 362 |
| Portland Middle School | 0 | 410 |
| Saranac Junior-Senior High School | 0 | 388 |
| Ionia Middle School | 0 | 613 |
| A. A. Rather School | 0 | 321 |
| Ellis Elementary School | 0 | 387 |
| Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School | 0 | 208 |
| Handlon Correctional Facility | 0 | 3 |
| Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility | 0 | 3 |
| R. B. Boyce Elementary School | 0 | 258 |
| Jefferson School | 0 | 284 |
| Douglas R. Welch High School | 0 | 77 |
| Coon School | 0 | 15 |
| North LeValley Elementary School | 0 | 13 |
| Haynor School | 0 | 6 |
