NW Illinois News

The majority of students in Whiteside County schools were white in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 8,253 students attending Whiteside County schools, 72.1% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 20.1% of Whiteside County students.

In the previous school year, white students were the most common group in Whiteside County, representing 72.6% of the student body.

Merrill Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among county schools, including 51.5% white students, 33.9% Hispanic students, 7.5% multiracial students, and 4.8% African American students.

In the 2021-22 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 0.4% when compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped 3% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrolment
Challand Middle School	White	53.1%	714
Dillon Elementary School	White	60%	240
Early Step Pre-School	White	82.2%	45
East Coloma - Nelson Elementary School	White	83.1%	231
Erie Elementary School	White	92.7%	246
Erie High School	White	93.6%	188
Erie Middle School	White	91.3%	184
Franklin Elementary School	White	65.6%	363
Fulton Elementary School	White	89%	383
Fulton High School	White	93.3%	283
Jefferson Elementary School	White	54.8%	418
Lincoln Elementary School	White	52.9%	291
Merrill Elementary School	White	51.5%	227
Montmorency School	White	80.3%	223
Morrison High School	White	86.7%	286
Morrison Junior High School	White	86.6%	231
Northside School	White	91.3%	229
Prophetstown Elementary School	White	86%	215
Prophetstown High School	White	91%	199
Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico Middle School	White	91.2%	181
River Bend Middle School	White	93.7%	207
Riverdale Preschool Center	White	71.4%	133
Rock Falls Middle School	White	64.3%	255
Rock Falls Township High School	White	70.4%	558
Southside School	White	90.5%	189
Sterling High School	White	53.7%	978
Tampico Elementary School	White	91.8%	159
Washington Elementary School	White	56.7%	397