Southern Illinois News

The majority of students in Union County schools were white in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 2,524 students attending Union County schools, 87.1% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 8.2% of Union County students.

In the previous school year, white students were the most common group in Union County, representing 87.7% of the student body.

Anna-Jonesboro High School had the most diverse student body in Union County, including African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2021-22 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 4.2% when compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 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 3% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrolment
Anna Junior High School	White	87.3%	260
Anna-Jonesboro High School	White	87.9%	504
Cobden Elementary School	White	77%	196
Cobden High School	White	66.3%	172
Cobden Junior High School	White	62.1%	95
Davie Elementary School	White	87.9%	116
Dongola Elementary School	White	92.2%	128
Dongola High School	White	90.2%	61
Dongola Junior High School	White	93.8%	48
Jonesboro Elementary School	White	93.9%	345
Lick Creek Elementary School	White	92.8%	138
Lincoln Elementary School	White	90.1%	192
Shawnee Elementary School	White	96.6%	147
Shawnee High School	White	95.4%	65
Shawnee Junior High School	White	98.2%	57