Carbondale Reporter

There were 1,509 Black students enrolled in Jackson County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Black students made up 23% of the 6,566 students in Jackson County during the 2021-22 school year. 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 2021-22 school year, with a total of 775 students.

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

In 2022, Illinois had 1,925,415 students enrolled in a total of 3,977 schools. There were 130,467 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.

District	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Carbondale Elementary School District 95	51.2	1,513
Murphysboro Community Unit School District 186	17.5	1,906
Carbondale Community High School District 165	28.6	930
Unity Point Community Consolidated School District 140	17.3	617
Giant City Community Consolidated School District 130	7.1	241
Elverado Community Unit School District 196	2.6	382
Trico Community Unit School District 176	0	800
DeSoto Consolidated School District 86	0	177