West Central Reporter

There were 255 Black students enrolled in McDonough County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 5.6% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 8.6% of the 2,970 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 11 schools in McDonough County, Lincoln Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 67 students.

As of the 2023-24 school year, Illinois public schools enrolled approximately 1.85 million students across nearly 4,000 schools. There was roughly one teacher for every 15 students, slightly better than the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting the state's demographic changes. Between the 2019–20 and 2022–23 school years, Illinois public school enrollment declined from approximately 1.98 million to 1.85 million students, a decrease of about 127,000 students or 6.4%. This decline is significantly higher than the typical annual decreases of 0.5% to 1.5% observed in the preceding years, reflecting broader demographic shifts within the state.

School name	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Lincoln Elementary School	16.5%	406
Macomb Senior High School	11.4%	578
Macomb Junior High School	12.4%	453
Edison Elementary School	14%	372
Bushnell-Prairie City Elementary School	4.6%	304
West Prairie South Elementary School	0%	176
West Prairie High School	0%	155
West Prairie Junior High School	0%	91
West Prairie North Elementary School	0%	152
Bushnell-Prairie City High School	0%	166
Bushnell-Prairie City Junior High School	0%	117