South West Illinois News

There were 174 Hispanic students enrolled in Randolph County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.4% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 4.6% of the 3,816 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 13 schools in Randolph County, Chester Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 88 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 Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Chester Elementary School	14.1%	623
Chester High School	8.2%	317
Sparta Lincoln School	2.6%	732
Red Bud Elementary School	3.1%	605
Sparta High School	3.8%	316
Red Bud High School	2.6%	385
Coulterville Elementary School	0%	81
Coulterville High School	0%	67
Coulterville Junior High School	0%	51
Steeleville Elementary School	0%	273
Steeleville High School	0%	136
Evansville Attendance Center	0%	113
Prairie Du Rocher Elementary School	0%	117