East Central Reporter

There were 50 Hispanic students enrolled in Richland County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 30.6% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 2.5% of the 2,006 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the three schools in Richland County, Richland County Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 27 students.

As of the 2023-24 school year, Illinois public schools enrolled approximately 1.85 million students across nearly 4,000 schools. There was roughly one teacher for every 15 students, slightly better than the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting the state's demographic changes. Between the 2019–20 and 2022–23 school years, Illinois public school enrollment declined from approximately 1.98 million to 1.85 million students, a decrease of about 127,000 students or 6.4%. This decline is significantly higher than the typical annual decreases of 0.5% to 1.5% observed in the preceding years, reflecting broader demographic shifts within the state.

School name	% of Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Richland County Elementary School	3%	914
Richland County High School	3.5%	657
Richland County Middle School	0%	435