Rockford Sun

There were 4,313 white students enrolled in Boone County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 5.1% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 48.8% of the 8,830 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 16 schools in Boone County, Belvidere North High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 755 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 White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Belvidere North High School	56.3%	1,341
Belvidere Central Middle School	55.6%	858
Belvidere High School	39%	1,122
Seth Whitman Elementary School	52.7%	691
Caledonia Elementary School	66.2%	447
North Boone High School	58.8%	476
Belvidere South Middle School	37.1%	738
Meehan Elementary School	38.6%	601
Lincoln Elementary School	41.8%	534
Washington Academy	27%	820
Poplar Grove Elementary School	68%	256
North Boone Middle School	59.3%	246
North Boone Upper Elementary School	63.7%	201
Perry Elementary School	59.3%	194
Capron Elementary School	56.5%	170
Manchester Elementary School	69.6%	135