West Central Reporter

Of the many ethnicities represented in Cass County schools, white was the most prevalent ethnicity among Cass County students in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 2,078 students attending Cass County schools, 49.7% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 32.6% of Cass County students.

In the previous school year, white students were the most common group in Cass County, representing 50.6% of the student body.

Beardstown Junior/Senior High School, Gard Elementary School, and Grand Avenue School had the most diverse student body in Cass County, including Asian, African American, Hispanic, and white.

In the 2021-22 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped less than 0.1% when 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.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped 3% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrolment
A-C Central Elementary School	White	96.1%	154
A-C Central High School	White	98.2%	110
A-C Central Middle School	White	91.5%	94
Beardstown Junior/Senior High School	Hispanic	54.3%	807
Gard Elementary School	Hispanic	45.5%	457
Grand Avenue School	Multiracial	33.8%	142
Virginia Elementary School	White	90.4%	178
Virginia Junior and Senior High School	White	90.4%	136