Illinois Valley Times

There were 299 Black students enrolled in LaSalle County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 7.1% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 2.1% of the 14,350 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 44 schools in LaSalle County, Northwest Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 35 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
Northwest Elementary School	5.5%	636
Northlawn Junior High School	5.4%	597
Streator Township High School	4.2%	767
Kimes Elementary School	6.9%	437
Ottawa Township High School	2.1%	1,240
Centennial Elementary School	5.5%	454
La Salle-Peru Township High School	2.1%	1,167
Shepherd Middle School	3.5%	370
Northbrook School	2.7%	474
Northview Elementary School	2.2%	591
Lincoln Junior High School	4.7%	254
McKinley Elementary School	3.3%	360
Central Intermediate School	3.4%	327
Jefferson Elementary School	3.7%	271
Marseilles Elementary School	2%	508
Leland Elementary School	0%	163
Leland High School	0%	77
Lincoln Elementary School	0%	440
Lincoln Elementary School	0%	440
Lincoln Elementary School	0%	440
Lostant Elementary School	0%	56
Seneca Elementary School South Campus	0%	213
Seneca Grade School North Campus	0%	272
Seneca High School	0%	355
Serena High School	0%	155
Sheridan Elementary School	0%	131
Rutland Elementary School	0%	65
Earlville Elementary School	0%	253
Harding Grade School	0%	122
Serena Middle School	0%	187
Deer Park C.C. Elementary School	0%	35
Wallace Elementary School	0%	406
Waltham Elementary School	0%	254
Washington Elementary School	0%	122
Blackstone Elementary School	0%	210
Earlville Junior/Senior High School	0%	98
Dimmick Community Consolidated School District 175	0%	146
Tonica Grade School	0%	119
Parkside Middle School	0%	353
Mendota Township High School	0%	473
Milton Pope Elementary School	0%	189
Ransom Grade School	0%	92
Grand Ridge School	0%	207
Earlville Early Learning Center	0%	52