Southern Illinois News

There were 138 Black students enrolled in Massac County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 6.8% of the 2,039 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the nine schools in Massac County, Metropolis Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 61 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
Metropolis Elementary School	12.7%	481
Massac County High School	8.5%	517
Massac Junior High School	6%	285
Brookport Elementary School	10.1%	159
Unity Elementary School	0%	131
Franklin Elementary School	0%	145
Jefferson Elementary School	0%	122
Joppa Junior & Senior High School	0%	85
Maple Grove Elementary School	0%	114