Stephenson County Education: Which school had most students enrolled in 2021-22 school year

Center Elementary School Principal Amanda Hayes (2023) | Center Elementary School

By NW Illinois News

Dec 1, 2023

Freeport High School had the highest enrollment among Stephenson County schools, welcoming 1,026 students during the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Out of all the students welcomed in the 2021-22 school year, 50.7% of the students were girls, and 49.3% were boys.

The most represented ethnicity among Freeport High School students was white, accounting for 49.6% of the student population.

Among the 19 schools in Stephenson County, Freeport Middle School ranked second in enrollment with 533 students, while Lena-Winslow Elementary School welcomed 392 students to be ranked third in the 2021-22 school year.

Freeport High School is a part of Freeport School District 145, which generally encompasses schools within Stephenson County with its main office in Freeport.

In the previous school year, Freeport High School had the highest number of students among Stephenson County schools.

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.

Enrollment in Stephenson County Over 4 Years

Demographics in Stephenson County Schools During 2021-22 School Year

School name	City	Total Enrolment
Freeport High School	Freeport	1,026
Freeport Middle School	Freeport	533
Lena-Winslow Elementary School	Lena	392
Carl Sandburg Middle School	Freeport	390
Dakota Elementary School	Dakota	387
Dakota Junior Senior High School	Dakota	384
Empire Elementary School	Freeport	337
Jones-Farrar, an International Baccalaureate World School	Freeport	317
Center Elementary School	Freeport	280
Black Hawk Elementary School	Freeport	274
Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School	Freeport	270
Lena-Winslow High School	Lena	244
Pearl City Elementary School	Pearl City	216
Lena-Winslow Junior High School	Lena	163
Pearl City High School	Pearl City	138
Orangeville Elementary School	Orangeville	135
Orangeville High School	Orangeville	103
Orangeville Junior High School	Orangeville	74
Pearl City Junior High School	Pearl City	62