SE Grand Rapids News

There were 12 American Indian students enrolled in Ionia County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 20% 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, American Indian students comprised 0.1% of the student body to be the second lowest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 27 schools in Ionia County, Saranac Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of four 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 American Indian students enrolment	Total enrollment
Saranac Elementary School	0.9	444
Portland High School	0.3	688
Lakewood Elementary School	0.2	500
Freedom Acres School	0.8	131
Oakwood Elementary School	0.2	476
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility	11.1	9
Emerson School	0.6	171
Twin Rivers Elementary School	0.5	192
Ionia High School	0	801
Belding High School	0	508
Westwood Elementary School	0	423
Woodview Elementary School	0	348
Belding Middle School	0	362
Portland Middle School	0	410
Saranac Junior-Senior High School	0	388
Ionia Middle School	0	613
A. A. Rather School	0	321
Ellis Elementary School	0	387
Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School	0	208
Handlon Correctional Facility	0	3
Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility	0	3
R. B. Boyce Elementary School	0	258
Jefferson School	0	284
Douglas R. Welch High School	0	77
Coon School	0	15
North LeValley Elementary School	0	13
Haynor School	0	6