UP Gazette

There were 39 African American students enrolled in Delta County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 5.4% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Delta County welcomed 4,379 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 0.9% of the student body to be the third lowest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 14 schools in Delta County, Escanaba Junior-Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of nine 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
Escanaba Junior-Senior High School	0.8	1,100
Bay Pines Center	25.9	27
Mid Peninsula School	3.1	191
Escanaba Upper Elementary School	0.7	436
Gladstone Area High School	0.7	430
Webster Kindergarten Center	1.3	224
Lemmer Elementary School	0.7	283
Gladstone Area Middle School	0.6	339
Tri-Township School	0.7	278
Big Bay De Noc School	0.6	176
Learning Center	1.1	88
Cameron Elementary School	0	378
James T. Jones Elementary School	0	343
Escanaba Student Success Center	0	86