Carbondale Reporter

There were 1,501 Black students enrolled in Jackson County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 22.8% of the 6,586 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 19 schools in Jackson County, Carbondale Community High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 279 students.

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.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting the state's demographic changes. Between the 2019–20 and 2022–23 school years, Illinois public school enrollment declined from approximately 1.98 million to 1.85 million students, a decrease of about 127,000 students or 6.4%. This decline is significantly higher than the typical annual decreases of 0.5% to 1.5% observed in the preceding years, reflecting broader demographic shifts within the state.

School name	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Carbondale Community High School	29.5%	947
Parrish Elementary School	54.2%	456
Carbondale Middle School	47.9%	445
Thomas Elementary School	52.2%	362
Lewis School	49.5%	299
Unity Point Elementary School	17.7%	650
Murphysboro High School	16.1%	577
General John A. Logan Attendence Centre	19.4%	391
Murphysboro Middle School	15.2%	414
Carruthers Elementary School	13.6%	413
DeSoto Elementary School	6.2%	193
Giant City Elementary School	4.2%	236
Elverado High School	0%	108
Elverado Intermediate School	0%	70
Elverado Junior High School	0%	67
Elverado Primary School	0%	106
Trico Elementary School	0%	453
Trico Junior High School	0%	180
Trico Senior High School	0%	219