Illinois Valley Times

There were 2,768 Hispanic students enrolled in LaSalle County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 19.1% of the 14,467 students in LaSalle County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity.

Among the 26 districts in LaSalle County, Mendota Community Consolidated School District 289 recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 402 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with LaSalle 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 Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Mendota Community Consolidated School District 289	39.7%	1,013
Streator Elementary School District 44	24.2%	1,477
Ottawa Elementary School District 141	17.6%	1,748
La Salle Elementary School District 122	30.8%	885
LaSalle-Peru Township High School District 120	18.8%	1,213
Mendota Township High School District 280	42.9%	503
Ottawa Township High School District 140	15.6%	1,260
Streator Township High School District 40	20.3%	816
Peru Elementary School District 124	16.6%	937
Oglesby Elementary School District 125	17.4%	449
Marseilles Elementary School District 150	14.3%	517
Community Unit School District 2	9.6%	638
Earlville Community Unit School District 9	13.3%	375
Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195	11.5%	418
Seneca Community Consolidated School District 170	9.7%	466
Seneca Township High School District 160	9.4%	383
Leland Community Unit School District 1	13%	239
Waltham Community Consolidated School District 185	8.3%	205
Tonica Community Consolidated School District 79	10.7%	131
Dimmick Community Consolidated School District 175	8%	150
Allen-Otter Creek Community Consolidated School District 65	0%	92
Lostant Community Unit School District 425	0%	63
Rutland Community Consolidated School District 230	0%	72
Miller Township Community Consolidated School District 210	0%	168
Deer Park Community Consolidated School District 82	0%	63
Grand Ridge Community Consolidated School District 95	0%	186