South Central Reporter

There were 132 Hispanic students enrolled in Macoupin County school districts in the 2022-23 school year, 5.6% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 1.8% of the 7,361 students in the county. They were the second least represented ethnicity at the time.

Among the eight districts in Macoupin County, Staunton Community Unit School District 6 recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 30 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Macoupin 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	Hispanic Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Staunton Community Unit School District 6	2.5%	1,187
North Mac Community Unit School District 34	2.3%	1,164
Southwestern Community Unit School District 9	2.1%	1,199
Carlinville Community Unit School District 1	1.8%	1,307
Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8	2.6%	568
Gillespie Community Unit School District 7	1.1%	1,139