West Central Reporter

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

Of the 2,350 students attending Pike County schools, 95.9% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 1.7% of Pike County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Pike County, representing 96.3% of the student body.

Pikeland Community School, Pittsfield High School, and Pittsfield South Elementary School had the most diverse student body in Pike County, including Hispanic and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 0.2% 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
Griggsville-Perry High School	White	97.9%	95
Griggsville-Perry Middle School	White	98.9%	94
Griggsville-Perry Primary School	White	99.1%	113
Pikeland Community School	White	94.4%	484
Pittsfield High School	White	95.3%	338
Pittsfield South Elementary School	White	94.8%	330
Pleasant Hill Elementary School	White	96.4%	275
Pleasant Hill High School	White	97.9%	96
Western Barry Elementary School	White	96.4%	222
Western High School	White	95.7%	138
Western Junior High School	White	96.4%	165