Southern Illinois News

There were 263 Black students enrolled in Pulaski County County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.3% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Black students made up 34.2% of the 769 students during the 2022-23 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the four schools in Pulaski County County, Meridian High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in 2022-23 school year, with a total of 121 students.

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.

School name	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Meridian High School	58.7	206
Meridian Elementary School	47	236
Century Junior/Senior High School	9.9	161
Century Elementary School	9	166