Southern Illinois News

There were 2,199 white students enrolled in Union County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, 4.8% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that white students made up 87.1% of the 2,524 students in Union County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the seven districts in Union County, Anna Community Consolidated School District 37 recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 502 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Union County.

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 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.

District	% of white students enrolment	Total enrollment
Anna Community Consolidated School District 37	88.4%	568
Anna Jonesboro Community High School District 81	87.9%	504
Cobden School Unit District 17	70%	463
County of Union School District 43	93.9%	345
Shawnee Community Unit School District 84	96.7%	269
Dongola Unit School District 66	92%	237
Lick Creek Community Consolidated School District 16	92.8%	138