East Central Reporter

There were 2,826 white students enrolled in Shelby County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, 0.1% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that white students made up 96% of the 2,944 students in Shelby County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the five districts in Shelby County, Shelbyville Community Unit School District 4 recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 1,159 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Shelby 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 2019-20 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.

District	% of white students enrolment	Total enrollment
Shelbyville Community Unit School District 4	95.6%	1,212
Central A & M Community Unit School District 21	96.1%	694
Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A	96.8%	401
Windsor Community Unit School District 1	94.7%	339
Cowden-Herrick Community Unit School District 3A	97.7%	298