West Central Reporter

There were 155 Black students enrolled in Cass County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 14.8% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 8% of the 1,939 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the third most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the seven schools in Cass County, Beardstown Junior/Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 88 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
Beardstown Junior/Senior High School	10.8%	814
Gard Elementary School	13.8%	484
Virginia Elementary School	0%	184
Virginia Junior and Senior High School	0%	136
A-C Central High School	0%	101
A-C Central Elementary School	0%	129
A-C Central Middle School	0%	91