DeKalb Times

There were 1,977 Black students enrolled in DeKalb County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Black students made up 12.2% of the 16,151 students in DeKalb County during the 2021-22 school year. 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 2021-22 school year, with a total of 1,815 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with DeKalb County.

In 2022, Illinois had 1,925,415 students enrolled in a total of 3,977 schools. There were 130,467 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped 3% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

District	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
DeKalb Community Unit School District 428	27.1	6,703
Sycamore Community Unit School District 427	3.2	3,545
Genoa-Kingston Community Unit School District 424	1.6	1,491
Indian Creek School District 425	1.9	727
Somonauk Community Unit School District 432	1.6	743
Hiawatha Community Unit School District 426	0	416
Hinckley-Big Rock Community Unit School District 429	0	700
Sandwich Community Unit School District 430	0	1,826