DeKalb Times

There were 3,309 Hispanic students enrolled in DeKalb County school districts in the 2021-22 school year, 4.6% more than the previous year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

Data showed that Hispanic students made up 20.5% of the 16,151 students in DeKalb County during the 2021-22 school year. They were the second most represented ethnicity.

Among the eight districts in DeKalb County, DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 1,965 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with DeKalb 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
DeKalb Community Unit School District 428	29.3%	6,703
Sycamore Community Unit School District 427	10.6%	3,545
Sandwich Community Unit School District 430	20.2%	1,826
Genoa-Kingston Community Unit School District 424	20.7%	1,491
Indian Creek School District 425	11.6%	727
Hinckley-Big Rock Community Unit School District 429	11.9%	700
Somonauk Community Unit School District 432	9.2%	743
Hiawatha Community Unit School District 426	13.7%	416