Will County Gazette

There were 14,679 Black students enrolled in Will 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 14.2% of the 103,077 students in Will County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the third most represented ethnicity.

Among the 29 districts in Will County, Valley View Community Unit School District 365U recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 3,239 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Will 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
Valley View Community Unit School District 365U	21.6	15,015
Plainfield School District 202	12.5	24,904
Crete-Monee Community Unit School District 201-U	61	4,290
Joliet Public School District 86	20.7	9,814
Joliet Township High School District 204	18.8	6,838
Troy Community Consolidated School District 30C	14.6	3,994
Lincoln Way Community High School District 210	4.7	6,586
Laraway Community Consolidated School District 70C	47.2	447
Summit Hill School District 161	8.2	2,536
Lockport Township High School District 205	4.9	3,778
Frankfort Community Consolidated School District 157C	6.9	2,591
Richland Grade School District 88A	20.5	844
Fairmont School District 89	33.6	327
New Lenox School District 122	1.4	4,994
Chaney-Monge School District 88	13.1	436
Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C	1.5	3,640
Mokena School District 159	3.2	1,551
Beecher Community Unit School District 200U	3.5	1,022
Manhattan School District 114	2.1	1,742
Rockdale School District 84	12.1	214
Peotone Community Unit School District 207U	2	1,281
Lockport School District 91	3.1	546
Union School District 81	14.2	106
Elwood Community Consolidated School District 203	5.5	256
Will County School District 92	1	1,389
Channahon School District 17	1.1	1,164
Wilmington Community Unit School District 209U	0.8	1,227
Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U	0	1,298
Taft School District 90	0	247