West Central Reporter

The majority of students in McDonough County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 3,112 students attending McDonough County schools, 79.4% were white. African American students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 8.7% of McDonough County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in McDonough County, representing 80.8% 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 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 3.1% 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.

Illinois has increased its state funding for public schools by $350 million, bringing the total to $8.6 billion for the upcoming year. This is in line with a 2017 law aiming to provide adequate funding to all schools by 2027.

However, experts suggest that this goal may be delayed unless education funding jumps to at least $550 million. According to a Center for Tax and Budget Accountability report, there’s currently a funding gap of about $2.3 billion.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Bushnell-Prairie City Elementary School	White	83.9%	322
Bushnell-Prairie City High School	White	89.3%	187
Bushnell-Prairie City Junior High School	White	87.4%	135
Edison Elementary School	White	70.5%	427
Lincoln Elementary School	White	68.9%	543
Macomb Junior High School	White	74.3%	304
Macomb Senior High School	White	73.3%	592
West Prairie High School	White	96.8%	157
West Prairie Junior High School	White	94.8%	96
West Prairie North Elementary School	White	94.8%	173
West Prairie South Elementary School	White	98.9%	176