Macon Reporter

There were 4,153 Black students enrolled in Macon County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Black students made up 27.5% of the 15,129 students in Macon County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity.

Among the seven districts in Macon County, Decatur School District 61 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 3,995 students.

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

In 2022, Illinois had 1,925,415 students enrolled in a total of 3,977 schools. There were 130,467 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped 3% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

District	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Decatur School District 61	49	8,147
Maroa Forsyth Community Unit School District 2	4.3	1,154
Mount Zion Community Unit School District 3	2	2,375
Argenta-Oreana Community Unit School District 1	3.5	923
Warrensburg-Latham Community Unit School District 11	3	952
Meridian Community Unit School District 15	0	934
Sangamon Valley Community Unit School District 9	0	644