East Central Reporter

The majority of students in Coles County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 5,579 students attending Coles County schools, 81.2% were white. multiracial students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 6.8% of Coles County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Coles County, representing 82.4% of the student body.

Charleston High School had the most diverse student body in Coles County, including Asian, African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1.6% 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.

Illinois has increased its state funding for public schools by $350 million, bringing the total to $8.6 billion for the upcoming year. This is in line with a 2017 law aiming to provide adequate funding to all schools by 2027.

However, experts suggest that this goal may be delayed unless education funding jumps to at least $550 million. According to a Center for Tax and Budget Accountability report, there’s currently a funding gap of about $2.3 billion.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Arland D. Williams Junior Elementary School	White	77.1%	672
Ashmore Elementary School	White	86.6%	82
Carl Sandburg Elementary School	White	76.4%	547
Charleston High School	White	81.8%	713
Charleston Middle School	White	80.2%	383
Jefferson Elementary School	White	81.4%	539
Lake Crest Elementary School	White	98.3%	181
Mark Twain Elementary School	White	73.5%	189
Mattoon High School	White	84.6%	960
Mattoon Middle School	White	81.6%	640
Oakland High School	White	97%	67
Riddle Elementary School	White	79.2%	606