SE Grand Rapids News

Ionia High School had the highest enrollment among Ionia County schools, welcoming 805 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 51.4% of them were boys, and 48.6% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 83.5% of the Ionia High School total enrollment.

Among the 28 schools in Ionia County, Portland High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 702 students, while Ionia Middle School welcomed 664 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Ionia High School is part of Ionia Public Schools, which roughly covers schools within Ionia County, with its main office in Ionia.

In the previous school year, Ionia High School also had the highest number of students among Ionia County schools.

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	City	Total School Enrollment
Ionia High School	Ionia	805
Portland High School	Portland	702
Ionia Middle School	Ionia	664
Belding High School	Belding	557
Oakwood Elementary School	Portland	497
Lakewood Elementary School	Lake Odessa	493
Saranac Elementary School	Saranac	434
Portland Middle School	Portland	415
Saranac Junior-Senior High School	Saranac	405
Westwood Elementary School	Portland	405
Ellis Elementary School	Belding	394
Woodview Elementary School	Belding	373
Belding Middle School	Belding	325
A. A. Rather School	Ionia	321
Jefferson School	Ionia	315
R. B. Boyce Elementary School	Ionia	264
Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School	Pewamo	190
Twin Rivers Elementary School	Muir	188
Emerson School	Ionia	172
Freedom Acres School	Ionia	133
Douglas R. Welch High School	Ionia	83
North LeValley Elementary School	Ionia	14
Coon School	Ionia	9
Haynor School	Ionia	9
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility	Ionia	4
Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility	Ionia	4
Handlon Correctional Facility	Ionia	2
Michigan Reformatory	Ionia	1