South West Illinois News

There were 152 Black students enrolled in Randolph County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.1% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 4% of the 3,816 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 13 schools in Randolph County, Sparta Lincoln School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 107 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
Sparta Lincoln School	14.6%	732
Sparta High School	14.2%	316
Chester Elementary School	0%	623
Chester High School	0%	317
Coulterville Elementary School	0%	81
Coulterville High School	0%	67
Coulterville Junior High School	0%	51
Steeleville Elementary School	0%	273
Steeleville High School	0%	136
Red Bud High School	0%	385
Evansville Attendance Center	0%	113
Prairie Du Rocher Elementary School	0%	117
Red Bud Elementary School	0%	605