Carbondale Reporter

There were 3,742 white students enrolled in Jackson County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.7% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 56.8% of the 6,586 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 19 schools in Jackson County, Carbondale Community High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 473 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 White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Carbondale Community High School	49.9%	947
Murphysboro High School	68.3%	577
Unity Point Elementary School	55.5%	650
Trico Elementary School	79.7%	453
Murphysboro Middle School	68.6%	414
Carruthers Elementary School	67.6%	413
General John A. Logan Attendence Centre	58.6%	391
Trico Senior High School	84.9%	219
Giant City Elementary School	78%	236
DeSoto Elementary School	79.3%	193
Trico Junior High School	82.2%	180
Carbondale Middle School	30.1%	445
Parrish Elementary School	23.5%	456
Elverado High School	91.7%	108
Elverado Primary School	83%	106
Thomas Elementary School	22.9%	362
Lewis School	21.1%	299
Elverado Intermediate School	84.3%	70
Elverado Junior High School	85.1%	67