Quantcast

Rock Island Today

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Truancy in Mercer County districts decreased in 2021-22 school year

Webp drsteven isoye

Chair of the Board Dr. Steven Isoye (2023) | Illinois State Board of education

Chair of the Board Dr. Steven Isoye (2023) | Illinois State Board of education

Students in Mercer County districts had a truancy rate of 6.3% in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. This was a decrease from the previous school year's rate of 10%.

There were 1,255 students enrolled in Mercer County districts in the 2021-22 school year, of which 79 students were absent throughout the year.

The districts located in the county had a dropout rate 6.1%, which was 2.1% higher than the year before.

Across the county, Mercer County School District 404 suffered the most truancy issues (6.9%) in the 2021-22 school year. Meanwhile, Mercer County School District 404 successfully recorded the lowest truancy rate in the region (6.9%).

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 Mercer 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.

Truancy vs Attendance Rates in Mercer County Over 2 Years
2020-212021-220%20%40%60%80%100%Attendance rateTruancy rate

Mercer County Districts Chronic Truancy Rates in 2021-22 School Year
DistrictNo. of students enrolledChronic truancy rates
Mercer County School District 4041,2556.9%

MORE NEWS