East Central Reporter

There were 1,996 white students enrolled in East Richland Community Unit School District 1 in the 2021-22 school year, 1.7% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that East Richland Community Unit School District 1 welcomed 2,390 students during the 2021-22 school year. Among them, white students comprised 91.0% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the district.

East Richland Community Unit School District 1 roughly covers schools within Richland County and has a main office in Olney.

Among the three schools in East Richland Community Unit School District 1, Richland County Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 958 students.

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 three percent 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.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total of White Students	White students %
2022	2,194	1,996	91%
2021	2,233	2,030	90.9%
2020	2,362	2,153	91.2%
2019	2,379	2,174	91.4%
2018	2,390	2,185	91.4%