Carbondale Reporter

There were 512 Black students enrolled in Williamson 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 5.3% of the 9,748 students in Williamson County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the third most represented ethnicity.

Among the five districts in Williamson County, Marion Community Unit School District 2 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 313 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Williamson 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
Marion Community Unit School District 2	8.5	3,695
Herrin Community Unit School District 4	5.1	2,337
Carterville Community Unit School District 5	3.6	2,200
Crab Orchard Community Unit School District 3	0	480
Johnston City Community Unit School District 1	0	1,036