SE Illinois News

There were 63 Hispanic students enrolled in Saline County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 37% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 2% of the 3,187 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 12 schools in Saline County, Harrisburg High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 25 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
Harrisburg High School	4.8%	517
Eldorado Elementary School	3.2%	539
Eldorado High School	3.8%	292
West Side Primary School	2.5%	403
Carrier Mills-Stonefort Elementary School	0%	294
Carrier Mills-Stonefort High School	0%	107
School District 428 IYC-HRB	0%	48
East Side Intermediate School	0%	383
Eldorado Middle School	0%	256
Galatia Elementary School	0%	162
Galatia High School	0%	108
Galatia Junior High School	0%	78