West Central Reporter

Western Community Unit School District 12 welcomed 521 students in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

This is a 1.2% increase over the previous school year.

Western Barry Elementary School had the largest enrollment in the district with 221 students.

Western Community Unit School District 12 roughly covers schools within Pike County and has a main office in Barry.

In 2022, Illinois had 1,925,415 students enrolled in a total of 3,977 schools. There were 130,467 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 three percent between the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school year (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.