East Central Reporter

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

Of the 2,844 students attending Douglas County schools, 80.1% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 15.1% of Douglas County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Douglas County, representing 81.1% of the student body.

North Ward Elementary School and Villa Grove Elementary School had the most diverse student body in Douglas County, including Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 0.3% 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
Arcola Elementary School	White	51.7%	404
Arcola High School	White	50.7%	280
Arthur Grade School	White	81.3%	284
Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond High School	White	92.5%	307
East Prairie Middle School	White	91.1%	280
North Ward Elementary School	White	89.6%	364
Tuscola High School	White	89.9%	286
Villa Grove Elementary School	White	87.5%	335
Villa Grove High School	White	92.3%	194
Villa Grove Junior High School	White	93.6%	110