Bert Goens Learning Center

Bert Goens Learning Center is a combined-grade school of tiny scale in LAWRENCE, Michigan, run under Van Buren ISD, works with 70 students in grades pre-K through 12. That puts it 75% smaller than the typical public school in Michigan, which averages around 281 students.

Van Buren ISD comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 156 students; Bert Goens Learning Center is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Bert Goens Learning Center records that White students make up the majority at 59%. Beyond that, the school reports 24% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 6% Black, 3% Native American. By comparison, Van Buren County as a whole is about 80% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 2.6:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.3:1, putting Bert Goens Learning Center tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 50% of students at Bert Goens Learning Center qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Van Buren County indicate median household earnings sit near $68,114, about 23% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Bert Goens Learning Center is one of 45 public schools in Van Buren County (combined enrollment of about 14,850 students).

Nearest neighbor: Lawrence JrSr High School, around 0.7 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Bert Goens Learning Center.

Bert Goens Learning Center operates from a low-density location.

Five-year trend. Bert Goens Learning Center's enrollment has declined 39% since 2018, when it stood at 115 (now 70).

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.