Illinois Valley Times

There were 96 Hispanic students enrolled in Putnam County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, 8.6% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 12.3% of the 779 students in Putnam County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the least represented ethnicity.

Putnam County Community Unit School District 535 was the only district in the county which enrolled Hispanic students, welcoming 96 students in the 2021-22 school year.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Putnam 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
Putnam County Community Unit School District 535	12.3%	779