SE Grand Rapids News

There were 664 Hispanic students enrolled in Ionia County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.8% less 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, Hispanic students comprised 8.3% of the student body to be the second highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 27 schools in Ionia County, Ionia High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 105 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 Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Ionia High School	13.1	801
Ionia Middle School	11.9	613
Belding High School	9.8	508
Ellis Elementary School	11.4	387
Jefferson School	14.8	284
Woodview Elementary School	11.2	348
Belding Middle School	10.5	362
Emerson School	18.7	171
Portland High School	4.4	688
Lakewood Elementary School	5.8	500
A. A. Rather School	9	321
R. B. Boyce Elementary School	9.3	258
Saranac Elementary School	5	444
Saranac Junior-Senior High School	5.4	388
Twin Rivers Elementary School	10.4	192
Portland Middle School	4.1	410
Westwood Elementary School	3.8	423
Douglas R. Welch High School	14.3	77
Freedom Acres School	6.1	131
Oakwood Elementary School	1.5	476
Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School	3.4	208
Coon School	0	15
North LeValley Elementary School	0	13
Haynor School	0	6
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility	0	9
Handlon Correctional Facility	0	3
Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility	0	3