UP Gazette

There were 42 African American students enrolled in Delta County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 7.7% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Delta County welcomed 4,402 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 1% 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 2023-24 school year, with a total of 10 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	0.9	1,091
Bay Pines Center	32.1	28
Mid Peninsula School	2.8	217
Gladstone Area High School	1.1	445
Lemmer Elementary School	1	287
Escanaba Upper Elementary School	0.5	441
Tri-Township School	0.8	253
Big Bay De Noc School	0.5	208
Cameron Elementary School	0.3	339
Webster Kindergarten Center	0.4	226
Learning Center	1.2	86
Escanaba Student Success Center	1.1	87
Gladstone Area Middle School	0	329
James T. Jones Elementary School	0	365