Southern Illinois News

There were 2,055 white students enrolled in Union County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.2% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 86.6% of the 2,373 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 15 schools in Union County, Anna-Jonesboro High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 396 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 White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Anna-Jonesboro High School	86.7%	457
Jonesboro Elementary School	93.9%	311
Anna Junior High School	87.3%	244
Lincoln Elementary School	93.1%	204
Cobden Elementary School	75.6%	217
Shawnee Elementary School	95.5%	133
Lick Creek Elementary School	93%	128
Dongola Elementary School	93.7%	126
Davie Elementary School	83.5%	121
Cobden High School	56.3%	135
Shawnee Junior High School	90.5%	74
Cobden Junior High School	74.7%	87
Shawnee High School	91.5%	71
Dongola Junior High School	97.7%	43
Dongola High School	90.9%	22