There were 1,450 Black students enrolled in Jackson County school districts in the 2024-25 school year, 4.1% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Data showed that Black students made up 22.1% of the 6,570 students in the county. They were the second most represented ethnicity.
Among the eight districts in Jackson County, Carbondale Elementary School District 95 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 795 students.
The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Jackson 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Carbondale Elementary School District 95 | 50% | 1,589 |
| Carbondale Community High School District 165 | 29.2% | 966 |
| Murphysboro Community Unit School District 186 | 14.6% | 1,810 |
| Unity Point Community Consolidated School District 140 | 14.5% | 602 |
| Elverado Community Unit School District 196 | 3.6% | 334 |
| DeSoto Consolidated School District 86 | 5.1% | 196 |
Information in this story was obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education. The source data can be found here.
