East Central Reporter

There were 2,396 white students enrolled in Edgar County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.6% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 93.8% of the 2,555 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 13 schools in Edgar County, Paris Cooperative High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 509 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
Paris Cooperative High School	96.4%	528
Crestwood Elementary School	96%	297
Memorial Elementary School	90.5%	306
Shiloh Elementary School	95.2%	248
Carolyn Wenz Elementary School	91.7%	253
Mayo Middle School	90.3%	238
Crestwood Junior High School	95.2%	126
Chrisman Elementary School	94.3%	122
Shiloh High School	90%	110
Kansas Elementary School	93.8%	96
Chrisman High School	100%	84
Kansas High School	90.9%	77
Chrisman-Scottland Junior High School	91.4%	70