Galesburg Reporter

There were 536 Hispanic students enrolled in Knox County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 0.6% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 8.7% of the 6,150 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second least represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 16 schools in Knox County, Galesburg High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 155 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
Galesburg High School	13.4%	1,158
Silas Willard Elementary School	15.5%	433
King Elementary School	11.5%	506
Churchill Junior High School	10.5%	543
Lombard Middle School	10.9%	513
Steele School	10.2%	519
Hedding Grade School	5%	382
ROWVA Elementary School	4.8%	376
Mable Woolsey Elementary School	3.8%	397
ROWVA Junior/Senior High School	6.6%	229
Abingdon-Avon High School	4.8%	269
Knoxville Junior High School	4%	247
Williamsfield Elementary School	0%	112
Williamsfield High School	0%	97
Williamsfield Middle School	0%	77
Knoxville Senior High School	0%	292