Southern Illinois News

There were 193 Hispanic students enrolled in Union County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 1.5% more 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 in the county. They were the second most represented ethnicity.

Among the seven districts in Union County, Cobden School Unit District 17 recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 120 students.

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

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

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.

District	Hispanic Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Cobden School Unit District 17	27.3%	439
Anna Community Consolidated School District 37	7%	569
Anna Jonesboro Community High School District 81	7.2%	457