SE Grand Rapids News

There were 262 multiracial students enrolled in Ionia County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4% 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, multiracial students comprised 3.3% of the student body to be the third highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 27 schools in Ionia County, Ionia Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 25 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 multiracial students enrolment	Total enrollment
Ionia Middle School	4.1	613
Ionia High School	3	801
Portland High School	3.3	688
Ellis Elementary School	5.4	387
Westwood Elementary School	4.3	423
Belding Middle School	4.7	362
A. A. Rather School	4.7	321
Belding High School	2.8	508
Jefferson School	4.9	284
Lakewood Elementary School	2.8	500
Twin Rivers Elementary School	6.3	192
Woodview Elementary School	3.2	348
Portland Middle School	2.4	410
R. B. Boyce Elementary School	3.5	258
Saranac Junior-Senior High School	2.3	388
Oakwood Elementary School	1.7	476
Saranac Elementary School	1.4	444
Emerson School	2.9	171
Douglas R. Welch High School	3.9	77
Freedom Acres School	1.5	131
Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School	1	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