McLean County Times

The majority of students in Livingston County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 5,214 students attending Livingston County schools, 83.8% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 8.9% of Livingston County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Livingston County, representing 84.7% of the student body.

Central Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among county schools, including 72% white students, 15.7% Hispanic students, 5.8% multiracial students, and 5% African American students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1.5% compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

Illinois has increased its state funding for public schools by $350 million, bringing the total to $8.6 billion for the upcoming year. This is in line with a 2017 law aiming to provide adequate funding to all schools by 2027.

However, experts suggest that this goal may be delayed unless education funding jumps to at least $550 million. According to a Center for Tax and Budget Accountability report, there’s currently a funding gap of about $2.3 billion.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Central Elementary School	White	72%	343
Cornell Elementary School	White	95.5%	89
Dwight Common School	White	83.8%	543
Dwight High School	White	89.6%	212
Flanagan Elementary School	White	91.9%	185
Flanagan-Cornell High School	White	91.8%	110
Graymont Elementary School	White	93.3%	60
Lincoln Elementary School	White	80.6%	211
Odell Grade School	White	94%	166
Pontiac High School	White	78.9%	674
Pontiac Junior High School	White	72.8%	331
Prairie Central Elementary School	White	90.3%	319
Prairie Central High School	White	87.6%	498
Prairie Central Junior High School	White	84.6%	227
Prairie Central Primary East School	White	81.7%	142
Prairie Central Upper Elementary School	White	87.1%	233
Saunemin Elementary School	White	90.2%	122
Tri-Point High School	White	83.6%	116
Washington Elementary School	White	73.1%	201
Woodland Elementary/Junior High School	White	86.5%	297
Woodland High School	White	90.4%	135