East Central Reporter

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

Of the 2,162 students attending Clay County schools, 94.8% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 1.2% of Clay County students.

In the previous school year, white students were the most common group in Clay County, representing 94.3% of the student body.

Flora Elementary School had the most diverse student body in Clay County, including Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2021-22 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1.5% 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
Clay City Elementary School	White	98.2%	163
Clay City High School	White	97.3%	74
Clay City Junior High School	White	98.3%	60
Flora Elementary School	White	92.6%	650
Flora High School	White	94.3%	353
Floyd Henson Junior High School	White	94.8%	290
North Clay Community High School	White	93.7%	190
North Clay Elementary/Junior High School	White	96.9%	382