Schools across Alexander County had eighth highest truancy rate during 2021-2022 school year

Schools among Alexander County had the eighth highest truancy rate of 29.8% during the 2021-2022 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Cairo Junior/Senior High School had the highest truancy rate among five schools in Alexander County – 60%, while Egyptian Elementary School had the highest attendance rate – 93.8%.

Students are considered chronically truant if they miss 5% of school days or more per year without acceptable excuses. The statewide truancy rate was 22.1% during the 2021-2022 school year.

Some schools have incomplete data, which is factored into the calculations.

In Alexander County schools enrolled 613 students in the 2021-2022 school year, and average daily attendance was at 91.5% for the year, the Illinois State Board of Education reported. The average daily rate of attendance across the state was 90.8%.

In 2022, Illinois had 1,925,415 students enrolled in a total of 3,977 schools. There were 130,467 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped three percent between the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school year (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.