East Central Reporter

The majority of students in Coles County schools were white in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 5,841 students attending Coles County schools, 82.4% were white. multiracial students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 6.4% of Coles County students.

In the previous school year, white students were the most common group in Coles County, representing 82.7% of the student body.

Charleston High School had the most diverse student body in Coles County, including Asian, African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2021-22 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased 2.3% when compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 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.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrolment
Arland D. Williams Junior Elementary School	White	76.9%	666
Ashmore Elementary School	White	88.4%	86
Carl Sandburg Elementary School	White	80.2%	529
Charleston High School	White	83.8%	754
Charleston Middle School	White	82.9%	386
Franklin Elementary School	White	81.8%	170
Jefferson Elementary School	White	81.3%	541
Lake Crest Elementary School	White	98.4%	187
Mark Twain Elementary School	White	72.5%	229
Mattoon High School	White	85.3%	947
Mattoon Middle School	White	82%	662
Oakland High School	White	97.1%	70
Riddle Elementary School	White	81.6%	614