There were 2,015 Black students enrolled in DeKalb County school districts in the 2024-25 school year, 1.8% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Data showed that Black students made up 12.4% of the 16,219 students in the county. They were the third most represented ethnicity.
Among the eight districts in DeKalb County, DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2024-25 school year, with a total of 1,842 students.
The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with DeKalb 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 |
|---|---|---|
| DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 | 28% | 6,584 |
| Sycamore Community Unit School District 427 | 3.6% | 3,655 |
| Indian Creek School District 425 | 2.6% | 738 |
| Genoa-Kingston Community Unit School District 424 | 0.9% | 1,496 |
| Sandwich Community Unit School District 430 | 0.5% | 1,843 |
Information in this story was obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education. The source data can be found here.
