West Central Reporter

There were 172 Black students enrolled in Cass County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Black students made up 8.3% of the 2,078 students in Cass County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the third most represented ethnicity.

Among the three districts in Cass County, Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 172 students.

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

In 2022, Illinois had 1,925,415 students enrolled in a total of 3,977 schools. There were 130,467 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	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Beardstown Community Unit School District 15	12.2	1,406
A-C Central Community Unit School District 262	0	358
Virginia Community Unit School District 64	0	314