Macon Reporter

The majority of students in Macon County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 14,153 students attending Macon County schools, 57.1% were white. African American students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 27.6% of Macon County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Macon County, representing 57.5% of the student body.

Johns Hill Magnet School, Maroa-Forsyth Grade School, and Mt. Zion High School had the most diverse student body in Macon County, including Asian, African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1.8% compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

Illinois has increased its state funding for public schools by $350 million, bringing the total to $8.6 billion for the upcoming year. This is in line with a 2017 law aiming to provide adequate funding to all schools by 2027.

However, experts suggest that this goal may be delayed unless education funding jumps to at least $550 million. According to a Center for Tax and Budget Accountability report, there’s currently a funding gap of about $2.3 billion.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
American Dreamer STEM Academy	African American	71.6%	391
Argenta-Oreana Elementary School	White	85.6%	439
Argenta-Oreana High School	White	84.6%	267
Argenta-Oreana Middle School	White	80.6%	196
Dennis Elementary School	African American	51.8%	537
Eisenhower High School	African American	50.2%	883
Franklin Grove Elementary School	African American	51%	445
Hope Academy	African American	61.7%	577
Johns Hill Magnet School	African American	43.4%	643
MacArthur High School	African American	51.2%	1,064
Maroa-Forsyth Grade School	White	75.5%	587
Maroa-Forsyth Middle School	White	80.5%	256
Maroa-Forsyth Senior High School	White	81.2%	329
McGaughey Elementary School	White	93.4%	381
Meridian Elementary School	White	91.7%	447
Meridian High School	White	93%	287
Meridian Middle School	White	91.2%	204
Michael E. Baum Elementary School	African American	40.3%	298
Montessori Academy for Peace	White	47.7%	703
Mt. Zion Elementary School	White	91.2%	330
Mt. Zion High School	White	90.8%	743
Mt. Zion Intermediate School	White	90.8%	532
Mt. Zion Junior High School	White	90.8%	400
Muffley Elementary School	African American	44.4%	356
Parsons Accelerated School	African American	48.7%	448
Robertson Charter School	African American	91.2%	329
Sangamon Valley High School	White	91.9%	173
Sangamon Valley Primary School	White	86.8%	174
South Shores Elementary School	African American	48.1%	314
Stephen Decatur Middle School	African American	42%	460
Warrensburg-Latham Elementary School	White	85.6%	430
Warrensburg-Latham High School	White	88.7%	311
Warrensburg-Latham Middle School	White	83.1%	219