South Central Reporter

There were 30 Black students enrolled in Montgomery County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Black students made up 0.8% of the 3,856 students in Montgomery County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity.

Among the four districts in Montgomery County, Hillsboro Community Unit School District 3 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 16 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Montgomery 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	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Hillsboro Community Unit School District 3	1	1,563
Litchfield Community Unit School District 12	1.1	1,257
Nokomis Community Unit School District 22	0	593
Panhandle Community Unit School District 2	0	443