Carbondale Reporter

There were 657 Hispanic students enrolled in Jackson County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 7.4% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 9.9% of the 6,639 students in the county. They were the third most represented ethnicity.

Among the eight districts in Jackson County, Carbondale Elementary School District 95 recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 168 students.

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

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

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.

District	Hispanic Student Enrollment Percentage	Total enrollment
Carbondale Elementary School District 95	10.8%	1,562
Murphysboro Community Unit School District 186	8.1%	1,848
Trico Community Unit School District 176	16.1%	852
Unity Point Community Consolidated School District 140	13.4%	650
Carbondale Community High School District 165	9.1%	947
Giant City Community Consolidated School District 130	6.8%	236
Elverado Community Unit School District 196	3.7%	351