NW Illinois News

There were 42 Black students enrolled in Ogle County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 55.6% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 0.5% of the 7,684 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 21 schools in Ogle County, Oregon Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 15 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
Oregon Elementary School	1.8%	844
Rochelle Township High School	1.7%	826
Lincoln Elementary School	2.6%	498
Centennial Elementary School	0%	227
Central Elementary School	0%	304
Creston Elementary School	0%	80
Highland Elementary School	0%	371
Forreston Grade School	0%	249
Forreston Junior/Senior High School	0%	396
Byron High School 9-12	0%	451
Byron Middle School	0%	364
Mary Morgan Elementary School	0%	625
Stillman Valley High School	0%	458
Eswood C.C. Grade School	0%	69
Tilton Elementary School	0%	299
Oregon High School	0%	623
Kings Elementary School	0%	74
Polo Community High School	0%	184
Meridian Junior High School	0%	331
Monroe Center Grade School	0%	306
Aplington Middle School	0%	105