West Central Reporter

There were 294 Black students enrolled in McDonough County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 2.3% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 9.5% of the 3,107 students in the county. 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 2023-24 school year, with a total of 265 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with McDonough County.

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

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.

District	Black Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Macomb Community Unit School District 185	13.6%	1,946
Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170	4.9%	587