Galesburg Reporter

There were 4,265 white students enrolled in Knox County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.6% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 69.3% of the 6,150 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 16 schools in Knox County, Galesburg High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 694 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
Galesburg High School	59.9%	1,158
Mable Woolsey Elementary School	91.4%	397
ROWVA Elementary School	92.3%	376
Hedding Grade School	85.6%	382
Churchill Junior High School	56.5%	543
Lombard Middle School	56.9%	513
Knoxville Senior High School	92.1%	292
Steele School	47.8%	519
King Elementary School	48.8%	506
Abingdon-Avon High School	88.5%	269
Silas Willard Elementary School	53.8%	433
Knoxville Junior High School	91.9%	247
ROWVA Junior/Senior High School	88.6%	229
Williamsfield Elementary School	92%	112
Williamsfield High School	94.8%	97
Williamsfield Middle School	97.4%	77