SE Illinois News

There were 10 Black students enrolled in Wayne County schools in the 2023-24 school year, the same as the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 0.4% of the 2,394 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 12 schools in Wayne County, Fairfield Community High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 10 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
Fairfield Community High School	2.3%	441
Center Street Elementary School	0%	293
Cisne High School	0%	107
Cisne Middle School	0%	101
Wayne City Attendance Center	0%	347
Wayne City High School	0%	142
Jasper Elementary School	0%	176
Johnsonville Elementary School	0%	114
New Hope Elementary School	0%	187
North Side Elementary School	0%	336
Mount Erie Elementary School	0%	57
Geff Elementary School	0%	93