Carbondale Reporter

There were 3,782 white students enrolled in Jackson County school districts 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 57% of the 6,639 students in the county. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the eight districts in Jackson County, Murphysboro Community Unit School District 186 recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 1,226 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Jackson County.

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

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.

District	white Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Murphysboro Community Unit School District 186	66.3%	1,848
Trico Community Unit School District 176	81.6%	852
Carbondale Community High School District 165	49.9%	947
Carbondale Elementary School District 95	24.8%	1,562
Unity Point Community Consolidated School District 140	55.5%	650
Elverado Community Unit School District 196	86.3%	351
Giant City Community Consolidated School District 130	78%	236
DeSoto Consolidated School District 86	79.3%	193