Prairie State Education Coverage, Driven by Data
Page 3 of 3
The smallest enrollment decline in 17 years masks a deeper split: non-EL enrollment is still falling by 30,000 a year while English learner growth papers over the gap.
Black enrollment in Illinois fell 16.7% since 2013, with Chicago Public Schools accounting for more than four-fifths of the decline.
Back-to-back enrollment gains at CPS are driven almost entirely by English learner growth. The district remains 21% below its 2005 level.
Illinois lost 135,959 students in six years but the decline is decelerating. English learners grew by 83,371 even as overall enrollment fell.
ISBE releases 2024-25 enrollment data showing 1,848,560 students — a ninth consecutive year of decline and the state's lowest enrollment in two decades.