Enrollment Analysis: Black students comprised less than 1% of Whiteside County’s student body in 2023-24 school year

Steven Isoye State Board of Education Chairperson | linkedin.com

By NW Illinois News

Jun 22, 2025

There were 70 Black students enrolled in Whiteside County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 12.9% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 0.9% of the 8,003 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 26 schools in Whiteside County, Sterling High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 22 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.

Ethnicities in Whiteside County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Whiteside County County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School name	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Sterling High School	2.3%	951
Jefferson Elementary School	3.8%	447
Rock Falls Township High School	3.1%	522
Challand Middle School	2.1%	698
Lincoln Elementary School	0%	285
Southside School	0%	215
River Bend Middle School	0%	233
Rock Falls Middle School	0%	232
Dillon Elementary School	0%	247
Washington Elementary School	0%	387
Franklin Elementary School	0%	383
Fulton Elementary School	0%	399
Fulton High School	0%	269
Northside School	0%	259
East Coloma - Nelson Elementary School	0%	209
Erie Elementary School	0%	247
Erie High School	0%	186
Erie Middle School	0%	173
Tampico Elementary School	0%	134
Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico Middle School	0%	167
Prophetstown Elementary School	0%	230
Prophetstown High School	0%	205
Merrill Elementary School	0%	233
Montmorency School	0%	207
Morrison High School	0%	276
Morrison Junior High School	0%	209