Kankakee Times

White students were the largest ethnic group in Kankakee County in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 15,600 students attending Kankakee County schools, 52.9% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 21.2% of Kankakee County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Kankakee County, representing 54.3% of the student body.

Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School and Liberty Intermediate School had the most diverse student body in Kankakee County, including Asian, African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

The Illinois State Board of Education’s budget for fiscal year 2026 will increase from nearly $10.8 billion to about $11.2 billion. This includes a $307 million boost for K–12 schools, marking the smallest annual increase since 2020.

The agency has paused about $50 million in funding previously allocated through the Evidence-Based Funding formula for the Property Tax Relief Grant while reviewing its impact on local tax relief. Officials say the pause could affect the timing and amount of property tax relief available to taxpayers.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Alan B. Shepard Elementary School	White	57.7%	477
Bonfield Grade School	White	86.8%	296
Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center	White	63.7%	487
Bradley Central Middle School	White	53.7%	378
Bradley East Elementary School	White	52.5%	520
Bradley West Elementary School	White	53.2%	387
Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School	White	64.1%	1,840
Edison Primary School	African American	65.3%	202
Grant Park Elementary School	White	78.4%	319
Grant Park High School	White	83.5%	121
Herscher High School	White	93.9%	507
Herscher Intermediate School	White	92.8%	376
Je-Neir Elementary School	White	47.3%	334
John Kennedy Middle Grade School	African American	47.4%	515
Kankakee High School	African American	43.9%	1,416
Kankakee Junior High School	African American	48%	504
King Middle Grade School	African American	53%	349
Liberty Intermediate School	White	60.8%	738
Limestone Middle School	White	91.1%	459
Lincoln Cltrl Center-Montessori Elementary School	African American	43.1%	457
Lorenzo R. Smith Elementary School	African American	49.2%	189
Manteno Elementary School	White	82.2%	698
Manteno High School	White	83.1%	549
Manteno Middle School	White	83.7%	528
Mark Twain Primary School	African American	43.1%	274
Momence High School	White	51.6%	318
Momence Junior High School	White	48%	342
Noel Levasseur Elementary School	White	65.9%	340
Shabbona Elementary School	White	52.9%	289
St. Anne Community High School	Hispanic	36.1%	194
St. Anne Elementary School	White	62.1%	248
St. George Elementary School	White	74.1%	378
Steuben Elementary School	Hispanic	68.6%	271
Taft Primary School	African American	59.7%	300

Information in this story was obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education. The source data can be found here.