Carbondale Reporter

There were 551 Black students enrolled in Williamson County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 0.9% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 5.7% of the 9,621 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the third most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 21 schools in Williamson County, Marion High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 108 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
Marion High School	10%	1,083
Washington Elementary School	12.9%	479
Marion Junior High School	8.8%	697
Lincoln Elementary School	10.9%	494
Jefferson Elementary School	12.6%	348
Herrin Community Unit School District 4 Elementary School	4.9%	720
Herrin High School	5.5%	640
Longfellow Elementary School	13.5%	252
Tri-C Elementary School	4%	657
Carterville High School	4%	629
North Side Primary Center	5%	460
Carterville Intermediate School	4.3%	515
Herrin Middle School	4.4%	500
Carterville Junior High School	0%	346
Crab Orchard Elementary School	0%	342
Crab Orchard High School	0%	137
Lincoln Elementary School	0%	494
Washington Middle School	0%	300
Jefferson Elementary School	0%	348
Johnston City High School	0%	325
Adams School	0%	263