Carbondale Reporter

There were 487 multiracial students enrolled in Jackson County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 0.6% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that multiracial students made up 7.4% of the 6,586 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 19 schools in Jackson County, Carbondale Community High School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 66 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 Multiracial students enrolment	Total enrollment
Carbondale Community High School	7%	947
Unity Point Elementary School	7.7%	650
General John A. Logan Attendence Centre	11.8%	391
Murphysboro High School	7.5%	577
Carbondale Middle School	9.4%	445
Parrish Elementary School	9.2%	456
Carruthers Elementary School	9.7%	413
Lewis School	13.4%	299
Murphysboro Middle School	9.4%	414
Thomas Elementary School	10.2%	362
DeSoto Elementary School	11.9%	193
Giant City Elementary School	8.1%	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