BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In 2019, Benton Harbor Area Schools’ educators and residents rebelled against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to close the district’s high school.

While the high school was saved, the district has seen a continuing trend in the drop in enrollment and has been plagued by dismal academic performance by its students.

Enrollment drop and academic shortfalls.

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Since negotiating a deal to keep the high school open, Benton Harbor Area Schools has seen its enrollment drop from 1,922 students to 1,229 students in 2024-25, a drop of 36%. That’s part of a trend of a much larger exodus. In 2000, the school district had 6,264 students.

In 2024-25, 88% of its third grade through eighth grade students were not proficient in English Language Arts (which means reading) in state testing.

Financial woes.

The district has been plagued with financial chaos and overspending for years. The Benton Harbor school district was under a consent agreement with the state from 2014 to 2018.

That changed with the pandemic as the district received $47 million in federal COVID-19 relief. Then, in 2023, the state erased $12 million in debt the district owed from before the pandemic.

In addition, many parents who reside in the city have chosen to send their children to out of the district to either a charter school or to a nearby public school through schools of choice.

School choice.

In 2024-25, 2,022 students were city residents who went to other school districts or charter schools. Benton Harbor attracted just six students from outside its boundaries that same year. The city has about 9,000 residents.

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Three districts attracted the most Benton Harbor residents. Countryside Academy boasted 748 students, Berrien Springs Public Schools saw 472 students, and Benton Harbor Charter School Academy welcomed 419 students.

In 2018, the boys basketball team won the Class B state championship. The school district is listed as having an enrollment of 511 students with the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).