NW Illinois News

Sterling Community Unit School District 5 had the highest enrollment among Whiteside County districts, welcoming 3,151 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 50.2% of them were boys, and 49.8% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students identified themselves as white, making up 54.4% of the Sterling Community Unit School District 5's total enrollment.

Among the nine districts in Whiteside County, Morrison Community Unit School District 6 ranked second in enrollment numbers with 959 students, while River Bend Community Unit School District 2 welcomed 940 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Sterling Community Unit School District 5 roughly covers schools within Whiteside County with its main office in Sterling.

In the previous school year, Sterling Community Unit School District 5 also had the highest number of students among Whiteside County districts.

Illinois has approved a new budget for 2025 that increases funds for K-12 education to $8.6 billion, $350 million above 2024.

Lawmakers also approved a new bill that creates a statewide child tax credit, which allows families to receive $300 per child under 17 years. This comes after a similar aid was granted from the federal government, as part of the American Rescue Plan.

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
Sterling Community Unit School District 5	Sterling	3,151
Morrison Community Unit School District 6	Morrison	959
River Bend Community Unit School District 2	Fulton	940
Rock Falls Elementary School District 13	Rock Falls	851
Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico Community Unit School District 3	Prophetstown	736
Erie Community Unit School District 1	Erie	606
Rock Falls Township High School District 301	Rock Falls	522
East Coloma-Nelson Consolidated Elementary School District 20	Rock Falls	209
Montmorency Community Consolidated School District 145	Rock Falls	207