Carbondale Reporter

The majority of students in Jackson County schools were white in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 6,566 students attending Jackson County schools, 58.4% were white. African American students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 22.8% of Jackson County students.

In the previous school year, white students were the most common group in Jackson County, representing 58.5% of the student body.

Carbondale Middle School had the most even distribution of races among county schools, including 46.7% African American students, 29.6% white students, 10.8% multiracial students, 10.4% Hispanic students, and 2.4% Asian students.

In the 2021-22 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased 1.7% when compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped 3% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrolment
Carbondale Community High School	White	49.7%	930
Carbondale Middle School	African American	46.7%	452
Carruthers Elementary School	White	67.7%	387
DeSoto Elementary School	White	82.5%	177
Elverado High School	White	94%	117
Elverado Intermediate School	White	87.7%	73
Elverado Junior High School	White	92.1%	76
Elverado Primary School	White	84.5%	116
General John A. Logan Attendence Centre	White	63.4%	424
Giant City Elementary School	White	73.4%	241
Lewis School	African American	52.5%	295
McElvain School	White	64.8%	91
Murphysboro High School	White	65.1%	579
Murphysboro Middle School	White	68.5%	425
Parrish Elementary School	African American	53.6%	466
Thomas Elementary School	African American	53%	300
Trico Elementary School	White	80.8%	407
Trico Junior High School	White	85.9%	177
Trico Senior High School	White	93.1%	216
Unity Point Elementary School	White	63.5%	617