East Central Reporter

There were 67 multiracial students enrolled in Crawford County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 28.8% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that multiracial students made up 2.5% of the 2,699 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 10 schools in Crawford County, Washington Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 23 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 Multiracial students enrolment	Total enrollment
Washington Elementary School	5.8%	398
Robinson High School	4.4%	459
Lincoln Elementary School	4.3%	323
Hutsonville Elementary And Junior High School	4.6%	216
Hutsonville High School	0%	82
Nuttall Middle School	0%	339
Oblong Elementary School	0%	382
Oblong High School	0%	162
Palestine Grade School	0%	254
Palestine High School	0%	84