Southern Illinois News

There were 193 Hispanic students enrolled in Union County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.5% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 8.1% of the 2,373 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 15 schools in Union County, Cobden High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 51 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 Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Cobden High School	37.8%	135
Cobden Elementary School	22.6%	217
Anna-Jonesboro High School	7.2%	457
Cobden Junior High School	23%	87
Anna Junior High School	8.2%	244
Lincoln Elementary School	4.9%	204
Davie Elementary School	8.3%	121
Lick Creek Elementary School	0%	128
Shawnee Elementary School	0%	133
Shawnee High School	0%	71
Shawnee Junior High School	0%	74
Dongola Elementary School	0%	126
Dongola High School	0%	22
Dongola Junior High School	0%	43
Jonesboro Elementary School	0%	311