Rockford Sun

There were 233 Black students enrolled in Boone County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.5% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 2.6% of the 8,830 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 16 schools in Boone County, Belvidere North High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 39 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
Belvidere North High School	2.9%	1,341
Belvidere High School	2.9%	1,122
Belvidere Central Middle School	3.5%	858
Washington Academy	3.5%	820
Lincoln Elementary School	4.1%	534
Meehan Elementary School	3.3%	601
Belvidere South Middle School	2.4%	738
Seth Whitman Elementary School	2.3%	691
Caledonia Elementary School	3.1%	447
Perry Elementary School	6.7%	194
Capron Elementary School	0%	170
Manchester Elementary School	0%	135
North Boone High School	0%	476
North Boone Middle School	0%	246
North Boone Upper Elementary School	0%	201
Poplar Grove Elementary School	0%	256