NW Illinois News

There were 5,788 white students enrolled in Ogle County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.2% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 75.3% of the 7,684 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 21 schools in Ogle County, Oregon Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 697 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 White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Oregon Elementary School	82.6%	844
Mary Morgan Elementary School	86.4%	625
Oregon High School	83.3%	623
Rochelle Township High School	52.9%	826
Byron High School 9-12	86.7%	451
Stillman Valley High School	80.6%	458
Forreston Junior/Senior High School	85.4%	396
Byron Middle School	86.5%	364
Highland Elementary School	81.1%	371
Meridian Junior High School	82.8%	331
Monroe Center Grade School	83%	306
Lincoln Elementary School	47%	498
Forreston Grade School	88.8%	249
Centennial Elementary School	88.5%	227
Polo Community High School	85.9%	184
Tilton Elementary School	47.8%	299
Central Elementary School	46.4%	304
Aplington Middle School	86.7%	105
Kings Elementary School	87.8%	74
Eswood C.C. Grade School	79.7%	69
Creston Elementary School	55%	80