West Central Reporter

The majority of students in Hancock County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 2,755 students attending Hancock County schools, 92.5% were white. multiracial students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 1.9% of Hancock County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Hancock County, representing 93.3% of the student body.

Illini West High School had the most diverse student body in Hancock County, including Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 2.3% 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.

Illinois has increased its state funding for public schools by $350 million, bringing the total to $8.6 billion for the upcoming year. This is in line with a 2017 law aiming to provide adequate funding to all schools by 2027.

However, experts suggest that this goal may be delayed unless education funding jumps to at least $550 million. According to a Center for Tax and Budget Accountability report, there’s currently a funding gap of about $2.3 billion.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Carthage Middle School	White	94.7%	170
Carthage Primary School	White	89.6%	259
Dallas City Elementary School	White	93.5%	169
Hamilton Elementary School	White	90.3%	414
Hamilton High School	White	92.5%	159
Illini West High School	White	90%	339
La Harpe Elementary School	White	93.5%	199
Nauvoo Elementary School	White	94.5%	201
Southeastern Elementary School	White	94.7%	247
Southeastern Junior/Senior High School	White	96.4%	193
Warsaw Elementary School	White	95.7%	209
Warsaw Senior High School	White	89.3%	196