Rockford Sun

There were 9,195 Black students enrolled in Winnebago 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 21.3% of the 43,089 students in Winnebago County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the third most represented ethnicity.

Among the 11 districts in Winnebago County, Rockford School District 205 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 8,554 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Winnebago 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
Rockford School District 205	31.3	27,328
Harlem Unit School District 122	6.7	6,188
Kinnikinnick Community Consolidated School District 131	2.8	1,720
South Beloit Community Unit School District 320	5	913
Rockton School District 140	2.5	1,543
Hononegah Community High School District 207	1.9	1,885
Winnebago Community Unit School District 323	2.7	1,253
Pecatonica Community Unit School District 321	1.3	866
Prairie Hill Community Consolidated School District 133	1.5	749
Shirland Community Consolidated School District 134	0	100
Durand Community Unit School District 322	0	544