South Central Reporter

Jason Helfer Chief Education Officer - Instruction | Twitter

By South Central Reporter

Jun 12, 2025

There were 6,755 white students enrolled in Macoupin County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.4% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 93.7% of the 7,210 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 26 schools in Macoupin County, Ben-Gil Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 512 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.

Ethnicities in Macoupin County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Macoupin County County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School name	% of White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Ben-Gil Elementary School	95.2%	538
Staunton Elementary School	94%	529
Staunton High School	91.7%	396
Southwestern High School	94.6%	372
Mt. Olive Elementary School	98.6%	356
Carlinville Primary School	87.3%	386
North Mac High School	94.6%	353
Carlinville High School	93.8%	354
Wolf Ridge Education Center	92.9%	350
North Mac Elementary School	90.1%	343
Gillespie High School	94.5%	327
Brighton North Primary School	94.8%	286
Carlinville Middle School	93.5%	279
Gillespie Middle School	97.3%	259
Carlinville Intermediate School	89.4%	264
Staunton Junior High School	93.6%	235
North Mac Middle School	91.9%	236
Bunker Hill High School	91.7%	206
North Mac Intermediate School	91.5%	201
Northwestern Elementary School	96.1%	181
Southwestern Middle School	96%	173
Medora Intermediate School	94.5%	164
Shipman Elementary School	95%	159
Mt. Olive High School	96.9%	129
Northwestern High School	100%	82
Northwestern Junior High School	98.1%	52