NW Illinois News

There were 244 Hispanic students enrolled in Lee County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.2% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 6.6% of the 3,719 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 13 schools in Lee County, Dixon High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 41 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 Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Dixon High School	5.8%	705
Reagan Middle School	6.5%	569
Washington Elementary School	8.2%	426
Madison School	6.7%	360
Amboy High School	9.7%	226
Ashton-Franklin Center Elementary School	7.3%	246
Amboy Junior High School	8.4%	203
Amboy Central Elementary School	5.2%	270
Ashton-Franklin Center High School	6.7%	210
Jefferson Elementary School	3.7%	326
Paw Paw Elementary School	10.6%	94
Steward Elementary School	0%	56
Paw Paw Junior High School	0%	28