McLean County Times

There were 2,932 Black students enrolled in McLean County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.4% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 13% of the 22,623 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 52 schools in McLean County, Normal Community High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 306 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.

School name	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Normal Community High School	14.8%	2,064
Bloomington High School	21.1%	1,288
Normal Community West High School	16.1%	1,589
Bloomington Junior High School	22.2%	987
Sheridan Elementary School	49.9%	341
Oakdale Elementary School	43.7%	375
Sugar Creek Elementary School	31.6%	399
Stevenson Elementary School	33.9%	345
Kingsley Junior High School	16.5%	685
Irving Elementary School	37.3%	303
Parkside Junior High School	18.7%	579
Chiddix Junior High School	15.9%	643
Fox Creek Elementary School	37%	262
Fairview Elementary School	33.7%	255
Oakland Elementary School	19.7%	417
Evans Junior High School	10%	743
Bent Elementary School	17.2%	366
Pepper Ridge Elementary School	17.2%	314
Colene Hoose Elementary School	11.2%	473
Cedar Ridge Elementary School	10.7%	488
Parkside Elementary School	17.1%	298
University High School	6%	630
Glenn Elementary School	16.7%	228
Prairieland Elementary School	7.1%	477
Benjamin Elementary School	5.3%	604
Washington Elementary School	8.8%	351
Grove Elementary School	6.1%	489
Northpoint Elementary School	5.5%	488
Thomas Metcalf School	3%	462
Eugene Field School	23.3%	43
Carlock Elementary School	0%	104
Leroy Elementary School	0%	411
Leroy High School	0%	234
Leroy Junior High School	0%	109
Lexington Elementary School	0%	213
Lexington High School	0%	155
Lexington Junior High School	0%	110
YBMC Charter School	0%	24
Ridgeview Elementary School	0%	245
Ridgeview Junior High School	0%	117
Heyworth Elementary School	0%	464
Heyworth Junior-Senior High School	0%	395
Hudson Elementary School	0%	223
El Paso-Gridley Junior High School	0%	386
Towanda Elementary School	0%	190
Tri-Valley Elementary School	0%	309
Tri-Valley High School	0%	306
Tri-Valley Middle School	0%	456
Olympia High School	0%	487
Olympia North Elementary School	0%	287
Prairie Central Primary West School	0%	245
Ridgeview High School	0%	167