East Central Reporter

There were 2,489 white students enrolled in Shelby County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.8% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 94.5% of the 2,635 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 12 schools in Shelby County, Moulton Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 416 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 White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Moulton Elementary School	93.7%	444
Main Street Elementary School	92.8%	373
Shelbyville High School	93.5%	336
Stewardson-Strasburg Elementary School	95.2%	273
Gregory Intermediate School	95.9%	196
Windsor Elementary School	91.1%	202
Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School	100%	163
Cowden-Herrick Grade School	97.5%	159
Stewardson-Strasburg High School	97.9%	142
Windsor Junior and Senior High School	92.5%	133
Okaw Valley Middle School	96%	125
Shelbyville Kindergarten Center	91%	89