Illinois Valley Times

There were 325 Black students enrolled in LaSalle County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 7.7% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 2.3% of the 14,350 students in the county. They were the second least represented ethnicity.

Among the 26 districts in LaSalle County, Streator Elementary School District 44 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 87 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with LaSalle 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
Streator Elementary School District 44	5.8%	1,488
Ottawa Elementary School District 141	2.9%	1,768
La Salle Elementary School District 122	5.3%	890
Streator Township High School District 40	4.2%	767
Mendota Community Consolidated School District 289	2.6%	1,001
Ottawa Township High School District 140	2.1%	1,240
LaSalle-Peru Township High School District 120	2.1%	1,167
Peru Elementary School District 124	2.1%	944
Marseilles Elementary School District 150	2%	508