Black River Public School students ranked 4th highest countywide in college readiness for math in 2022-23 school year

Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/

By Holland Reporter

Jan 7, 2025

There was a decrease in the number of Black River Public School students considered ready for math classes in college in the 2022-23 school year, according to the MI School Data. Based on their performance on the math portion of the SAT, 46.9% of the students were set for college during the school year.

In contrast, college-level math readiness in Black River Public School the year before was 53.7%.

Black River Public School ranked fourth in college readiness for math this year, compared to other districts in Ottawa County. In the previous year, it was ranked third.

Overall, students in Michigan are still performing below pre-pandemic levels. According to the test results, their scores are on average 4.5% lower than the pre-pandemic levels.

A recent study in the state suggested this could be caused by remote schooling. Students who learned remotely experienced more learning loss compared to those who attended in-person classes during the pandemic.

"This is hurting kids in ways we can't even imagine, and not just academically," Senator Thomas Albert said during his time as the House Appropriations Chairman. "The disruption of sports and other extracurricular activities also takes a major toll. It's going to take years for some of these students to recover academically."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was criticized for trying to address these academic failures by using more tutors in the public school system.

"Relying only on the system that caused academic and mental health setbacks is not looking out for the best interest of children," Jamie A. Hope wrote in the Michigan Capitol Confidential.

Due to the suspension of state assessments, SAT data for the 2019-20 academic year are not available.

Black River Public School College Readiness Based on Math Performance Over 5 Years

Districts Ranked by Students' Math Average Score in SAT in 2022-23 School Year

Rank	District	Math average score overall
1	Spring Lake Public Schools	549.6
2	Jenison Public Schools	523
3	Hudsonville Public School District	522.8
4	Grand Haven Area Public Schools	514.2
5	Black River Public School	509.5
6	Zeeland Public Schools	495.8
7	Allendale Public Schools	483.8
8	Coopersville Area Public School District	475.8
9	West Ottawa Public School District	469.4
10	Holland City School District	443.8