West Central Reporter

The majority of students in McDonough County schools were white in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 3,124 students attending McDonough County schools, 80.4% were white. African American students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 8.4% of McDonough County students.

In the previous school year, white students were the most common group in McDonough County, representing 83.1% of the student body.

Edison Elementary School and Macomb Senior High School had the most diverse student body in McDonough County, including Asian, African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2021-22 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased 2.5% when compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped 3% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrolment
Bushnell-Prairie City Elementary School	White	89.6%	299
Bushnell-Prairie City High School	White	88.3%	196
Bushnell-Prairie City Junior High School	White	86.4%	125
Edison Elementary School	White	70.8%	435
Lincoln Elementary School	White	71.5%	491
MacArthur Early Childhood Center	White	67.6%	105
Macomb Junior High School	White	76.5%	307
Macomb Senior High School	White	73.9%	586
West Prairie High School	White	98.7%	157
West Prairie Junior High School	White	95.1%	81
West Prairie North Elementary School	White	93.8%	162
West Prairie South Elementary School	White	100%	180