Carbondale Reporter

There were 8,017 white students enrolled in Williamson County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, 0.3% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that white students made up 82.2% of the 9,748 students in Williamson County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the five districts in Williamson County, Marion Community Unit School District 2 recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 2,877 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Williamson County.

In 2022, Illinois had 1,925,415 students enrolled in a total of 3,977 schools. There were 130,467 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped 3% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

District	% of white students enrolment	Total enrollment
Marion Community Unit School District 2	77.9%	3,695
Herrin Community Unit School District 4	82.6%	2,337
Carterville Community Unit School District 5	82.4%	2,200
Johnston City Community Unit School District 1	90.3%	1,036
Crab Orchard Community Unit School District 3	95.8%	480