Holland Reporter

There were 1,112 African American students enrolled in Ottawa County districts in the 2022-23 school year, 3.2% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Ottawa County welcomed 43,820 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 2.5% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county districts.

Among the 17 districts in Ottawa County, Holland City School District recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 254 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Ottawa County.

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 widening. Black and Hispanic students' average math proficiency dropped by 7% in 2022, to 13.5% and 28.2%, respectively.

District	% of African American Students Enrolled	Total Enrollment
Allendale Public Schools	2.5%	2,636
Black River Public School	1.6%	941
Coopersville Area Public School District	1%	2,554
Eagle Crest Charter Academy	1.7%	649
Grand Haven Area Public Schools	1.6%	5,411
Holland City School District	9%	2,834
Hudsonville Public School District	1.9%	6,806
ICademy Global	2.9%	242
Innocademy	1.1%	269
Jenison Public Schools	1.8%	5,198
Ottawa Area ISD	4%	1,455
Spring Lake Public Schools	0.9%	2,331
Vanderbilt Charter Academy	6.6%	486
Walden Green Montessori	4.7%	232
West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics	4.9%	453
West Ottawa Public School District	3.6%	6,590
Zeeland Public Schools	1.5%	6,010