Illinois Valley Times

There were 94 Hispanic students enrolled in Putnam County school districts in the 2023-24 school year, 5.1% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 12.5% of the 751 students in the county. They were the second most represented ethnicity.

Putnam County Community Unit School District 535 was the only district in the county which enrolled Hispanic students, welcoming 94 students in the 2023-24 school year.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Putnam 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
Putnam County Community Unit School District 535	12.5%	751