South Central Reporter

There were 5,202 white students enrolled in Marion County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, 1.9% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that white students made up 84.3% of the 6,173 students in Marion County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the 13 districts in Marion County, Salem School District 111 recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 832 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Marion 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
Salem School District 111	91.1%	913
Centralia School District 135	61.6%	1,121
Salem Community High School District 600	92.8%	691
Centralia High School District 200	74.7%	849
South Central Community Unit School District 401	98%	612
Sandoval Community Unit School District 501	89.8%	410
Central City School District 133	86.7%	360
Selmaville Community Consolidated School District 10	92.6%	244
Patoka Community Unit School District 100	97.7%	221
Raccoon Consolidated School District 1	92.2%	230
Odin Public School District 722	89%	237
Iuka Community Consolidated School District 7	95%	220
Kell Consolidated School District 2	78.5%	65