Carbondale Reporter

There were 1,506 Black students enrolled in Jackson County school districts in the 2022-23 school year, 0.2% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 23.1% of the 6,516 students in the county. They were the second most represented ethnicity at the time.

Among the eight districts in Jackson County, Carbondale Elementary School District 95 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 791 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	Black Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Carbondale Elementary School District 95	52.6%	1,503
Murphysboro Community Unit School District 186	17.1%	1,870
Carbondale Community High School District 165	28.7%	938
Unity Point Community Consolidated School District 140	16.5%	593
Elverado Community Unit School District 196	4.1%	362
Giant City Community Consolidated School District 130	6%	233