South West Illinois News

There were 3,236 white students enrolled in Randolph County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, the same number as the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that white students made up 84.8% of the 3,818 students in Randolph County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the six districts in Randolph County, Red Bud Community Unit School District 132 recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 948 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Randolph 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
Red Bud Community Unit School District 132	93.6%	1,013
Sparta Community Unit School District 140	74.3%	1,158
Chester Community Unit School District 139	82.7%	908
Steeleville Community Unit School District 138	92.6%	391
Coulterville Unit School District 1	88.1%	218
Prairie Du Rocher Community Consolidated School District 134	94.6%	130