South Central Reporter

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

Of the 3,782 students attending Montgomery County schools, 93% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 1.9% of Montgomery County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Montgomery County, representing 93.1% of the student body.

Beckemeyer Elementary School and Litchfield Senior High School had the most diverse student body in Montgomery County, including Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 1.2% 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
Beckemeyer Elementary School	White	92.3%	653
Coffeen Early Childhood Center	White	92.4%	118
Farmersville Elementary School	White	87.1%	101
Hillsboro High School	White	92.8%	458
Hillsboro Junior High School	White	93.9%	345
J.D. Colt Elementary School	White	94.4%	177
Lincolnwood High School	White	91.1%	135
Lincolnwood Junior High School	White	95.7%	94
Litchfield Middle School	White	93%	243
Litchfield Senior High School	White	91%	401
Madison Park Elementary School	White	95.5%	178
Nokomis Junior/Senior High School	White	94.4%	305
North Elementary School	White	95.7%	281
Raymond Grade School	White	92.2%	103
Russell Elementary School	White	92.6%	190