DeKalb Times

White students were the largest ethnic group in DeKalb County in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 15,609 students attending DeKalb County schools, 59.9% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 21.7% of DeKalb County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in DeKalb County, representing 60.2% of the student body.

Jefferson Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among county schools, including 35.7% white students, 31.7% African American students, 19.4% Hispanic students, 9.1% multiracial students, and 4.1% Asian students.

The Illinois State Board of Education’s budget for fiscal year 2026 will increase from nearly $10.8 billion to about $11.2 billion. This includes a $307 million boost for K–12 schools, marking the smallest annual increase since 2020.

The agency has paused about $50 million in funding previously allocated through the Evidence-Based Funding formula for the Property Tax Relief Grant while reviewing its impact on local tax relief. Officials say the pause could affect the timing and amount of property tax relief available to taxpayers.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Clinton Rosette Middle School	Hispanic	38.7%	568
Cortland Elementary School	Hispanic	41.5%	504
Dekalb High School	White	37.3%	1,936
Founders Elementary School	Hispanic	40.6%	542
Genoa Elementary School	White	75.6%	344
Genoa-Kingston High School	White	72.3%	465
Genoa-Kingston Middle School	White	72.4%	348
Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School	African American	58.6%	314
Herman E. Dummer School	White	77.8%	252
Hiawatha Elementary School Prek-5	White	81.4%	215
Hiawatha Junior/Senior High School	White	80.2%	202
Hinckley-Big Rock Elementary School	White	82.9%	345
Hinckley-Big Rock High School	White	82%	200
Huntley Middle School	White	36%	876
Indian Creek Elementary School	White	84.5%	251
Indian Creek High School	White	81.9%	254
Indian Creek Middle School	White	78.8%	222
James R. Wood Elementary School	White	83.6%	298
Jefferson Elementary School	White	35.7%	319
Kingston Elementary School	White	73.1%	331
Lincoln Elementary School	African American	44.7%	266
Littlejohn Elementary School	Hispanic	49.3%	359
Lynn G. Haskin Elementary School	White	74.3%	268
Malta Elementary School	White	43.5%	285
North Elementary School	White	80.1%	291
North Grove Elementary School	White	83.1%	426
Prairie View Elementary School	White	86.8%	189
Sandwich Community High School	White	75%	531
Sandwich Middle School	White	73%	423
Somonauk High School	White	84.8%	223
Somonauk Middle School	White	82.4%	238
South Prairie Elementary School	White	72.2%	349
Southeast Elementary School	White	81.3%	299
Sycamore High School	White	78%	1,152
Sycamore Middle School	White	80.4%	828
Tyler Elementary School	African American	53.7%	283
W.W. Woodbury Elementary School	White	73.3%	161
West Elementary School	White	62.3%	252

Information in this story was obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education. The source data can be found here.