Education

Public school facilities are in the process of being greatly improved throughout the South Haven Public School District. A $25 million dollar building program was approved by the district voters in 2003. New construction and upgrades of existing buildings will be complete by the 2005-2006 school year.
A new school for grades 4-5, North Shore Elementary, is located at Blue Star Highway and North Shore Drive. Maple Grove Elementary is undergoing a dramatic remodeling and will nearly triple in size to accommodate K-3 students. At Lincoln Elementary, a new gymnasium is being added which will also serve as an auxiliary gym for the high school. Finally, a new auditorium is being constructed at the northwest corner of L.C. Mohr High School.
For the year 2003-2004, total student enrollment was 2445. Broken down into district schools: 750 students at four elementary schools; 340 students 4th-5th grade level; 550 students 6th-8th grade level; and 805 students at the high school. During 2003-2004, 62 seniors represented 45% of their class as dual enrolled in a post-secondary program or college level equivalent course.

The VanBuren Intermediate School District (VBISD) serves 11 public schools and 6 non-public schools in Van Buren County and three public schools outside of the county. The ISD serves as a liaison between the schools and the Michigan Department of Education. It provides school districts with programs and services such as Special Education; Migrant/Bilingual Education; Career and Technical Education; Professional Development; Technology Services; Early Care and Education; and other Special Initiatives.

Parochial education is offered through two K-8 schools: St. Paul Lutheran and St. Basil Catholic. There are also several preschool and daycare programs in the area.

In 2002, area voters approved funding for the construction of a new 46,000 square ft. campus for Lake Michigan College. LMC opened in August of 2003 and is located in the I-196 Business Park on Veterans Blvd. The community college offers associate degrees and one-year certificates in more than 75 transfer and occupational areas of study at its campuses. In a partnership with Western Michigan University a student can pursue upper-level undergraduate and graduate classes at the South Haven Campus. Academic programs include: Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees; Pre-nursing; Early Childhood Education; Business Administration; and Graphic Design.