South West Illinois News

Sparta Community Unit School District 140 had the highest enrollment among Randolph County districts, welcoming 1,144 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 52.7% of them were boys, 47.1% were girls, and 0.2% identified themselves as non-binary or did not specify their gender.

Data also showed that the majority of students identified themselves as white, making up 74.8% of the Sparta Community Unit School District 140's total enrollment.

Among the six districts in Randolph County, Red Bud Community Unit School District 132 ranked second in enrollment numbers with 980 students, while Chester Community Unit School District 139 welcomed 906 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Sparta Community Unit School District 140 roughly covers schools within Randolph County with its main office in Sparta.

In the previous school year, Sparta Community Unit School District 140 also had the highest number of students among Randolph County districts.

Illinois has approved a new budget for 2025 that increases funds for K-12 education to $8.6 billion, $350 million above 2024.

Lawmakers also approved a new bill that creates a statewide child tax credit, which allows families to receive $300 per child under 17 years. This comes after a similar aid was granted from the federal government, as part of the American Rescue Plan.

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
Sparta Community Unit School District 140	Sparta	1,144
Red Bud Community Unit School District 132	Red Bud	980
Chester Community Unit School District 139	Chester	906
Steeleville Community Unit School District 138	Steeleville	395
Coulterville Unit School District 1	Coulterville	216
Prairie Du Rocher Community Consolidated School District 134	Prairie du Rocher	127