West Central Reporter

Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 had the highest enrollment among Cass County districts, welcoming 1,460 students during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 52.9% of them were boys, 47% were girls, and 0.1% identified themselves as non-binary or did not specify their gender.

The most represented ethnicity among Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 students was Hispanic, comprising 47.6% of the student population.

Among the three districts in Cass County, A-C Central Community Unit School District 262 ranked second in enrollment numbers with 336 students, while Virginia Community Unit School District 64 welcomed 309 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 roughly covers schools within Cass County with its main office in Beardstown.

In the previous school year, Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 also had the highest number of students among Cass County districts.

Illinois has approved a new budget for 2025 that increases funds for K-12 education to $8.6 billion, $350 million above 2024.

Lawmakers also approved a new bill that creates a statewide child tax credit, which allows families to receive $300 per child under 17 years. This comes after a similar aid was granted from the federal government, as part of the American Rescue Plan.

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
Beardstown Community Unit School District 15	Beardstown	1,460
A-C Central Community Unit School District 262	Ashland	336
Virginia Community Unit School District 64	Virginia	309