South Central Reporter

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

Of the 2,822 students attending Fayette County schools, 94.8% were white. multiracial students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 2.7% of Fayette County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Fayette County, representing 95.2% of the student body.

Vandalia Junior High School had the most diverse student body in Fayette 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 0.6% 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
Brownstown Elementary School	White	95.3%	255
Brownstown High School	White	98.9%	88
Brownstown Junior High School	White	98.1%	53
Ramsey Elementary School	White	96.1%	203
Ramsey High School	White	95.5%	200
South Central High School	White	97.4%	190
St. Elmo Elementary School	White	97.2%	217
St. Elmo Junior High School	White	92.3%	52
St. Elmo Senior High School	White	96%	124
Vandalia Community High School	White	94%	384
Vandalia Elementary School	White	94.3%	542
Vandalia Junior High School	White	91.8%	514