SE Grand Rapids News

There were 89 African American students enrolled in Ionia County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.7% 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, African American students comprised 1.1% of the student body to be the fourth highest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 27 schools in Ionia County, Oakwood Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 13 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
Oakwood Elementary School	2.7	476
Ionia High School	1.4	801
Portland Middle School	1.7	410
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility	77.8	9
Saranac Elementary School	1.4	444
Belding High School	1	508
Saranac Junior-Senior High School	1.3	388
Ionia Middle School	0.7	613
Westwood Elementary School	0.7	423
Woodview Elementary School	0.9	348
Emerson School	1.8	171
Handlon Correctional Facility	100	3
Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility	100	3
Portland High School	0.3	688
Belding Middle School	0.6	362
A. A. Rather School	0.6	321
Lakewood Elementary School	0.4	500
Twin Rivers Elementary School	1	192
R. B. Boyce Elementary School	0.8	258
Ellis Elementary School	0.3	387
Jefferson School	0.4	284
Douglas R. Welch High School	1.3	77
Freedom Acres School	0.8	131
Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School	0	208
Coon School	0	15
North LeValley Elementary School	0	13
Haynor School	0	6