SE Grand Rapids News

There were 85 African American students enrolled in Ionia County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 14.9% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Ionia County welcomed 8,178 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 1% of the student body to be the fourth highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 28 schools in Ionia County, Ionia High School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 11 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 African American students enrolment	Total enrollment
Ionia High School	1.4	805
Ionia Middle School	1.1	664
Oakwood Elementary School	1.4	497
Saranac Junior-Senior High School	1.7	405
Saranac Elementary School	1.4	434
Westwood Elementary School	1.2	405
Freedom Acres School	3.8	133
A. A. Rather School	0.9	321
Ellis Elementary School	0.8	394
Twin Rivers Elementary School	1.6	188
Emerson School	1.7	172
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility	75	4
Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility	75	4
Portland High School	0.3	702
Jefferson School	0.6	315
Portland Middle School	0.5	415
Belding High School	0.4	557
Woodview Elementary School	0.5	373
R. B. Boyce Elementary School	0.8	264
Handlon Correctional Facility	100	2
Lakewood Elementary School	0.2	493
Belding Middle School	0.3	325
Douglas R. Welch High School	1.2	83
Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School	0.5	190
Michigan Reformatory	100	1
Haynor School	0	9
North LeValley Elementary School	0	14
Coon School	0	9