South Central Reporter

There were 320 Black students enrolled in Marion County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 6.3% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 5.2% of the 6,132 students in the county. They were the second least represented ethnicity.

Among the 13 districts in Marion County, Centralia School District 135 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 206 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Marion County.

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

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.

District	Black Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Centralia School District 135	19.6%	1,051
Centralia High School District 200	11.3%	868
Salem School District 111	1.7%	959