East Central Reporter

There were 307 Black students enrolled in Coles County school districts in the 2022-23 school year, 3.4% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 5.3% of the 5,774 students in the county. They were the second least represented ethnicity at the time.

Among the three districts in Coles County, Charleston Community Unit School District 1 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 161 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Coles 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	Black Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Charleston Community Unit School District 1	6.6%	2,453
Mattoon Community Unit School District 2	4.8%	3,073