South West Illinois News

The majority of students in Randolph County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 3,768 students attending Randolph County schools, 85% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 4.5% of Randolph County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Randolph County, representing 84.8% of the student body.

Sparta High School and Sparta Lincoln School had the most diverse student body in Randolph County, including African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1.3% compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

Illinois has increased its state funding for public schools by $350 million, bringing the total to $8.6 billion for the upcoming year. This is in line with a 2017 law aiming to provide adequate funding to all schools by 2027.

However, experts suggest that this goal may be delayed unless education funding jumps to at least $550 million. According to a Center for Tax and Budget Accountability report, there’s currently a funding gap of about $2.3 billion.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Chester Elementary School	White	81.3%	603
Chester High School	White	87.1%	303
Coulterville Elementary School	White	88.4%	86
Coulterville High School	White	90%	70
Coulterville Junior High School	White	85%	60
Evansville Attendance Center	White	98.2%	114
Prairie Du Rocher Elementary School	White	95.3%	127
Red Bud Elementary School	White	92.8%	610
Red Bud High School	White	95.7%	370
Sparta High School	White	73.1%	312
Sparta Lincoln School	White	71.9%	718
Steeleville Elementary School	White	91.9%	270
Steeleville High School	White	92%	125