Peoria Standard

There were 63 Black students enrolled in Woodford County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 14.5% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Black students made up 0.9% of the 7,014 students in the county. They were the least represented ethnicity.

Among the nine districts in Woodford County, El Paso-Gridley Community Unit School District 11 recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 20 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Woodford County.

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

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.

District	Black Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
El Paso-Gridley Community Unit School District 11	1.7%	1,149
Eureka Community Unit School District 140	1.3%	1,502
Fieldcrest Community Unit School District 6	1.5%	852
County of Woodford School	1.2%	899