East Central Reporter

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

Of the 1,945 students attending Lawrence County schools, 93.2% were white. multiracial students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 2.5% of Lawrence County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Lawrence County, representing 93.4% of the student body.

Parkside Elementary School had the most diverse student body in Lawrence County, including 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 3.8% 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
Bridgeport Grade School	White	94.8%	363
Lawrenceville High School	White	92.6%	299
Parkside Elementary School	White	88.5%	497
Parkview Junior High School	White	90.7%	227
Red Hill Junior/Senior High School	White	98.6%	363
Sumner Attendance Center	White	95.9%	196