West Central Reporter

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

Of the 759 students attending Scott County schools, 96.6% were white.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Scott County, representing 97.1% of the student body.

During the 2022-23 school year, all schools in Scott County had a predominantly single-race student body, consisting of white students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 0.9% 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
Bluffs Elementary School	White	92%	88
Bluffs High School	White	94.7%	57
Bluffs Junior High School	White	97.4%	38
Winchester Elementary School	White	97.3%	410
Winchester High School	White	97.6%	166