East Central Reporter

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

Of the 2,195 students attending Clay County schools, 93.3% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 2.1% of Clay County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Clay County, representing 94.8% of the student body.

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

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 1.5% 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
Clay City Elementary School	White	95.8%	142
Clay City High School	White	97.6%	83
Clay City Junior High School	White	98.5%	68
Flora Elementary School	White	91%	675
Flora High School	White	95.4%	370
Floyd Henson Junior High School	White	92.3%	284
North Clay Community High School	White	94.9%	175
North Clay Elementary/Junior High School	White	92.7%	398