West Central Reporter

There were 2,353 white students enrolled in McDonough County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.8% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 79.2% of the 2,970 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 11 schools in McDonough County, Macomb Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 431 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 White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Macomb Senior High School	74.6%	578
Macomb Junior High School	73.1%	453
Lincoln Elementary School	66.3%	406
Edison Elementary School	72.3%	372
Bushnell-Prairie City Elementary School	86.2%	304
West Prairie South Elementary School	96.6%	176
West Prairie High School	94.8%	155
Bushnell-Prairie City High School	88%	166
West Prairie North Elementary School	92.8%	152
Bushnell-Prairie City Junior High School	86.3%	117
West Prairie Junior High School	94.5%	91