East Central Reporter

There were 61 Hispanic students enrolled in Clay County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 29.8% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 2.9% of the 2,127 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the eight schools in Clay County, Flora Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 34 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
Flora Elementary School	5.2%	657
North Clay Elementary/Junior High School	4.5%	380
Floyd Henson Junior High School	3.2%	308
Clay City Elementary School	0%	112
Clay City High School	0%	74
Clay City Junior High School	0%	73
Flora High School	0%	361
North Clay Community High School	0%	162