Carbondale Reporter

There were 568 Black students enrolled in Williamson County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 1.2% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 5.9% of the 9,621 students in the county. They were the third most represented ethnicity.

Among the five districts in Williamson County, Marion Community Unit School District 2 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 371 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Williamson 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	Black Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Marion Community Unit School District 2	10.3%	3,616
Herrin Community Unit School District 4	5%	2,320
Carterville Community Unit School District 5	3.8%	2,147