West Central Reporter

There were 269 Black students enrolled in McDonough 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 8.6% of the 3,124 students in McDonough County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity.

Among the three districts in McDonough County, Macomb Community Unit School District 185 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 239 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with McDonough 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
Macomb Community Unit School District 185	12.4	1,924
Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170	4.8	620
West Prairie Community Unit School District 103	0	580