Chief Education Officer Jason Helfer (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
Chief Education Officer Jason Helfer (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
There were 7,856 students enrolled in Henry County districts in the 2021-22 school year, of which 732 students were absent throughout the year.
The districts located in the county had a dropout rate 5%, which was 1.5% higher than the year before.
Across the county, Kewanee Community Unit School District 229 suffered the most truancy issues (28%) in the 2021-22 school year. Meanwhile, Orion Community Unit School District 223 successfully recorded the lowest truancy rate in the region (1.5%).
Students are generally considered chronically truant if they miss 5% or more of the total number of school days in a year without acceptable excuses.
The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Henry 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 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5% to 1.5% annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last five years.
| District | No. of students enrolled | Chronic truancy rates |
|---|---|---|
| Kewanee Community Unit School District 229 | 1,905 | 28% |
| Wethersfield Community Unit School District 230 | 530 | 13.4% |
| Colona School District 190 | 381 | 10.9% |
| Geneseo Community Unit School District 228 | 2,466 | 5.6% |
| Alwood Community Unit School District 225 | 361 | 4.3% |
| Orion Community Unit School District 223 | 965 | 1.5% |
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