East Central Reporter

There were 37 Hispanic students enrolled in Edgar County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 15.6% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 1.4% of the 2,555 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 13 schools in Edgar County, Mayo Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 13 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
Mayo Middle School	5.5%	238
Memorial Elementary School	4.2%	306
Carolyn Wenz Elementary School	4.3%	253
Chrisman Elementary School	0%	122
Chrisman High School	0%	84
Chrisman-Scottland Junior High School	0%	70
Crestwood Elementary School	0%	297
Crestwood Junior High School	0%	126
Shiloh Elementary School	0%	248
Shiloh High School	0%	110
Kansas Elementary School	0%	96
Kansas High School	0%	77
Paris Cooperative High School	0%	528