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East Central Reporter

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Truancy in Coles County districts decreased in 2021-22 school year

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Oakland Community Unit School District 5 Principal Mr. Nathan Pugh (2023) | Oakland Community Unit School District 5

Oakland Community Unit School District 5 Principal Mr. Nathan Pugh (2023) | Oakland Community Unit School District 5

Students in Coles County districts had a truancy rate of 21.6% in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. This was a decrease from the previous school year's rate of 29.2%.

There were 5,841 students enrolled in Coles County districts in the 2021-22 school year, of which 1,262 students were absent throughout the year.

The districts located in the county had a dropout rate 6.1%, which was 1.8% higher than the year before.

Across the county, Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 suffered the most truancy issues (24.3%) in the 2021-22 school year. Meanwhile, Oakland Community Unit School District 5 successfully recorded the lowest truancy rate in the region (6.2%).

Students are generally considered chronically truant if they miss 5% or more of the total number of school days in a year without acceptable excuses.

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

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 3% between the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last five years.

Truancy vs Attendance Rates in Coles County Over 2 Years
2020-212021-220%20%40%60%80%100%Attendance rateTruancy rate

Coles County Districts Chronic Truancy Rates in 2021-22 School Year
DistrictNo. of students enrolledChronic truancy rates
Mattoon Community Unit School District 23,05924.3%
Charleston Community Unit School District 12,52522.6%
Oakland Community Unit School District 52576.2%

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