East Central Reporter

There were 294 Hispanic students enrolled in Coles County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 5% of the 5,841 students in Coles County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity.

Among the three districts in Coles County, Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 167 students.

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 2019-20 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 Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Mattoon Community Unit School District 2	5.5%	3,059
Charleston Community Unit School District 1	5%	2,525
Oakland Community Unit School District 5	0%	257