West Central Reporter

There were 2,494 white students enrolled in Hancock County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.1% less than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 92.5% of the 2,697 students during the 2023-24 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the 12 schools in Hancock County, Hamilton Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 357 students.

As of the 2023-24 school year, Illinois public schools enrolled approximately 1.85 million students across nearly 4,000 schools. There was roughly one teacher for every 15 students, slightly better than the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting the state's demographic changes. Between the 2019–20 and 2022–23 school years, Illinois public school enrollment declined from approximately 1.98 million to 1.85 million students, a decrease of about 127,000 students or 6.4%. This decline is significantly higher than the typical annual decreases of 0.5% to 1.5% observed in the preceding years, reflecting broader demographic shifts within the state.

School name	% of White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Hamilton Elementary School	89.3%	400
Illini West High School	91.8%	330
Southeastern Elementary School	95.4%	261
Carthage Primary School	86.5%	260
Warsaw Elementary School	95.7%	207
Nauvoo Elementary School	94.7%	190
La Harpe Elementary School	93%	187
Southeastern Junior/Senior High School	96.1%	179
Carthage Middle School	93.2%	176
Hamilton High School	93.1%	173
Warsaw Senior High School	93.5%	168
Dallas City Elementary School	92.8%	166