Southern Illinois News

There were 449 white students enrolled in Pope County County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 1.6% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that white students made up 94.5% of the 475 students during the 2022-23 school year.

Among the two schools in Pope County County, Pope County Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in 2022-23 school year, with a total of 297 students.

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.

School name	% of White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Pope County Elementary School	93.7	317
Pope County High School	96.2	158