Rockford Sun

There were 9,175 Black students enrolled in Winnebago County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 2% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 21.3% of the 43,057 students in the county. 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 2023-24 school year, with a total of 8,485 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Winnebago 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
Rockford School District 205	31.1%	27,268
Harlem Unit School District 122	7.7%	6,199
Rockton School District 140	2.6%	1,603
South Beloit Community Unit School District 320	4.3%	912
Kinnikinnick Community Consolidated School District 131	2%	1,712
Hononegah Community High School District 207	1.9%	1,822
Winnebago Community Unit School District 323	2.6%	1,247
Prairie Hill Community Consolidated School District 133	2%	783
Pecatonica Community Unit School District 321	1.5%	878