North Kent News

There were 6,319 African American students enrolled in Kalamazoo County districts in the 2022-23 school year, 0.3% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Kalamazoo County welcomed 34,099 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 18.5% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county districts.

Among the 16 districts in Kalamazoo County, Kalamazoo Public Schools recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 4,643 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Kalamazoo 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
Climax-Scotts Community Schools	1.1%	543
Comstock Public Schools	21.7%	1,794
Forest Academy	10.6%	66
Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools	2.1%	971
Gull Lake Community Schools	3.5%	3,256
Kalamazoo Covenant Academy	55.2%	143
Kalamazoo Public Schools	37.7%	12,300
Kalamazoo RESA	34.9%	1,664
Oakland Academy	17.2%	163
Paramount Charter Academy	47.8%	379
Parchment School District	10.5%	1,586
Portage Public Schools	6.3%	8,616
Schoolcraft Community Schools	0.7%	1,071
Vicksburg Community Schools	1.4%	2,588
Youth Advancement Academy	72.4%	29