Chambana Sun

There were 2,134 white students enrolled in Ford County County schools in the 2021-22 school year, 1.9% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that white students made up 85.8% of the 2,486 students during the 2021-22 school year. They were the most represented ethnicity in the county schools.

Among the eight schools in Ford County County, Clara Peterson Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in 2021-22 school year, with a total of 465 students.

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.

School name	% of White students enrolment	Total enrollment
Clara Peterson Elementary School	81.4	571
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Elementary School	86.6	478
Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School	85.7	413
Paxton-Buckley-Loda Junior High School	86	292
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School	89.5	277
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Middle School	90.6	202
Tri-Point Junior High/Elementary	85.1	134
Tri Point Elementary School	88.2	119