South Central Reporter

There were 267 Hispanic students enrolled in Clinton County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 25.4% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 5% of the 5,293 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 19 schools in Clinton County, Breese Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 47 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.

School name	% of Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Breese Elementary School	11.2%	418
Central Community High School	6.5%	627
Wesclin Middle School	6.9%	492
Wesclin Senior High School	7.2%	348
New Baden Elementary School	10.4%	231
Trenton Elementary School	8.9%	236
Beckemeyer Elementary School	10.9%	175
Germantown Elementary School	5.7%	246
Schiller Elementary School	4.9%	247
Damiansville Elementary School	10%	100
Willow Grove Elementary School	6.8%	148
North Wamac Grade School	7.7%	130
Carlyle Elementary School	0%	377
Carlyle High School	0%	274
Carlyle Junior High School	0%	275
St. Rose Elementary School	0%	179
Bartelso Elementary School	0%	184
Albers Elementary School	0%	161
Aviston Elementary School	0%	445