West Central Reporter

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

Of the 3,124 students attending McDonough County district schools, 80.4% were white. African American students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 8.6% of McDonough County's districts students.

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

Macomb Community Unit School District 185 had the most diverse student body in the McDonough County, including Asian, African American, Hispanic, Multi-racial, and white.

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

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with McDonough County.

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.

District	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrolment
Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170	White	88.5%	620
Macomb Community Unit School District 185	White	72.7%	1,924
West Prairie Community Unit School District 103	White	97.2%	580