NW Illinois News

The majority of students in Ogle County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 8,230 students attending Ogle County schools, 74.6% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 19.2% of Ogle County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Ogle County, representing 74.6% of the student body.

Lincoln Elementary School, Oregon Elementary School, and Rochelle Middle School had the most diverse student body in Ogle County, including African American, Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 3.4% 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.

Illinois has increased its state funding for public schools by $350 million, bringing the total to $8.6 billion for the upcoming year. This is in line with a 2017 law aiming to provide adequate funding to all schools by 2027.

However, experts suggest that this goal may be delayed unless education funding jumps to at least $550 million. According to a Center for Tax and Budget Accountability report, there’s currently a funding gap of about $2.3 billion.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Aplington Middle School	White	89.5%	114
Byron High School 9-12	White	87.9%	453
Byron Middle School	White	87.7%	349
Centennial Elementary School	White	87.4%	222
Central Elementary School	Hispanic	47.4%	272
Creston Elementary School	White	64.5%	93
Eswood C.C. Grade School	White	77.3%	66
Forreston Grade School	White	86.4%	242
Forreston Junior/Senior High School	White	85.5%	415
Highland Elementary School	White	83.7%	355
Kings Elementary School	White	86.7%	83
Lincoln Elementary School	White	49.7%	503
Mary Morgan Elementary School	White	85.7%	659
Meridian Junior High School	White	83.3%	299
Monroe Center Grade School	White	84.5%	322
Oregon Elementary School	White	83.6%	837
Oregon High School	White	83%	641
Polo Community High School	White	86.5%	192
Rochelle Middle School	White	46.6%	474
Rochelle Township High School	White	56.6%	832
Stillman Valley High School	White	81.9%	486
Tilton Elementary School	Hispanic	47.7%	321