SE Illinois News

There were 2,723 white students enrolled in Saline County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.4% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 85.4% of the 3,187 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 12 schools in Saline County, Eldorado Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 486 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 White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Eldorado Elementary School	90.2%	539
Harrisburg High School	80.3%	517
West Side Primary School	85.9%	403
East Side Intermediate School	85.9%	383
Eldorado High School	91.4%	292
Eldorado Middle School	92.2%	256
Carrier Mills-Stonefort Elementary School	76.2%	294
Galatia Elementary School	93.2%	162
Galatia High School	94.4%	108
Carrier Mills-Stonefort High School	80.4%	107
Galatia Junior High School	91%	78
School District 428 IYC-HRB	20.8%	48