Enrollment Analysis: Black students comprised 27.3% of Macon County’s student body in 2023-24 school year

Benjamin Blakeley Principal at Eisenhower High School | Official website

By Macon Reporter

Jun 22, 2025

There were 3,836 Black students enrolled in Macon County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.8% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 27.3% of the 14,051 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 33 schools in Macon County, MacArthur High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 502 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.

Ethnicities in Macon County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Macon County County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School name	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
MacArthur High School	50.3%	999
Eisenhower High School	48.5%	885
Hope Academy	62%	527
Robertson Charter School	88.4%	329
Dennis Elementary School	52.5%	520
Johns Hill Magnet School	41.1%	625
American Dreamer STEM Academy	70.1%	364
Franklin Grove Elementary School	54.1%	460
Stephen Decatur Middle School	46.2%	474
Parsons Accelerated School	46%	465
Montessori Academy for Peace	31.3%	648
Muffley Elementary School	45.2%	389
South Shores Elementary School	47.8%	320
Michael E. Baum Elementary School	38.4%	323
Maroa-Forsyth Grade School	6.5%	584
Argenta-Oreana Elementary School	4.6%	455
Maroa-Forsyth Senior High School	5.9%	337
Warrensburg-Latham High School	4.9%	307
Warrensburg-Latham Elementary School	3.1%	458
Maroa-Forsyth Middle School	4.9%	245
Mt. Zion High School	1.6%	759
Mt. Zion Intermediate School	2.3%	521
Warrensburg-Latham Middle School	4.7%	214
Argenta-Oreana High School	3.8%	265
Sangamon Valley Primary School	0%	157
Sangamon Valley High School	0%	184
McGaughey Elementary School	0%	366
Meridian Elementary School	0%	466
Meridian High School	0%	288
Meridian Middle School	0%	198
Mt. Zion Elementary School	0%	347
Mt. Zion Junior High School	0%	398
Argenta-Oreana Middle School	0%	174