Rockford Sun

There were 8,991 Black students enrolled in Winnebago County school districts in the 2022-23 school year, 2.2% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 21% of the 42,873 students in the county. They were the third most represented ethnicity at the time.

Among the 11 districts in Winnebago County, Rockford School District 205 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 8,371 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	Black Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Rockford School District 205	30.8%	27,173
Harlem Unit School District 122	6.7%	6,111
South Beloit Community Unit School District 320	4.5%	884
Hononegah Community High School District 207	2.1%	1,848
Kinnikinnick Community Consolidated School District 131	2.1%	1,723
Winnebago Community Unit School District 323	2.9%	1,254
Rockton School District 140	2.3%	1,588
Pecatonica Community Unit School District 321	1.6%	879
Prairie Hill Community Consolidated School District 133	1.4%	772