McLean County Times

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

Of the 23,309 students attending McLean County schools, 64.5% were white. African American students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 12.8% of McLean County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in McLean County, representing 65.4% of the student body.

Benjamin Elementary School had the most diverse student body in McLean County, including American Indian, 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 0.8% 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
Benjamin Elementary School	White	51.7%	601
Bent Elementary School	Hispanic	36.1%	371
Bloomington High School	White	47%	1,424
Bloomington Junior High School	White	43.6%	996
Carlock Elementary School	White	87.6%	113
Cedar Ridge Elementary School	Hispanic	44.2%	423
Chiddix Junior High School	White	55.4%	623
Colene Hoose Elementary School	White	56.6%	449
El Paso-Gridley Junior High School	White	88%	374
Eugene Field School	White	62.7%	51
Evans Junior High School	White	53%	725
Fairview Elementary School	White	41.5%	289
Fox Creek Elementary School	White	42.5%	268
Glenn Elementary School	White	42%	224
Grove Elementary School	White	64.7%	496
Heyworth Elementary School	White	89.6%	482
Heyworth Junior-Senior High School	White	90.2%	398
Hudson Elementary School	White	88.7%	230
Irving Elementary School	African American	38.8%	335
Kingsley Junior High School	White	67%	715
Leroy Elementary School	White	93.3%	433
Leroy High School	White	94.5%	219
Leroy Junior High School	White	93.8%	128
Lexington Elementary School	White	95.4%	216
Lexington High School	White	93.5%	153
Lexington Junior High School	White	94.6%	112
Normal Community High School	White	59.1%	2,089
Normal Community West High School	White	69.1%	1,565
Northpoint Elementary School	White	63.5%	485
Oakdale Elementary School	African American	42.3%	369
Oakland Elementary School	White	50.2%	456
Olympia High School	White	92.7%	491
Olympia Middle School	White	93.2%	382
Olympia North Elementary School	White	88.9%	288
Parkside Elementary School	White	61.9%	291
Parkside Junior High School	White	63.5%	650
Pepper Ridge Elementary School	White	62.9%	329
Prairie Central Primary West School	White	88%	274
Prairieland Elementary School	White	77.6%	459
Ridgeview Elementary School	White	88.7%	230
Ridgeview High School	White	88.8%	161
Ridgeview Junior High School	White	92.5%	134
Sheridan Elementary School	African American	48.3%	354
Stevenson Elementary School	White	35.7%	356
Sugar Creek Elementary School	White	45.2%	396
Thomas Metcalf School	White	73.3%	435
Towanda Elementary School	White	80.3%	183
Tri-Valley Elementary School	White	91.6%	320
Tri-Valley High School	White	91.4%	302
Tri-Valley Middle School	White	90.9%	462
University High School	White	71.3%	623
Washington Elementary School	White	63.6%	349
YBMC Charter School	White	50%	28