Iroquois County schools recorded lower truancy rate in 2021-22 school year compared to average in Illinois

Donovan Senior High School Principal Mr. Andy Jordan (2023) | Donovan Senior High School

By Kankakee Times

Oct 16, 2023

Students in Iroquois County schools were truant 7.6% of the time in the 2021-22 school year, the Illinois State Board of Education reported. The truancy rate was lower than the previous school year.

There were 3,799 students enrolled in Iroquois County in the 2021-22 school year, meaning 290 students were absent throughout the year.

The dropout rate in the county was 6.7%, 4.1% higher than the year before.

Statewide, Hardin County schools suffered the most truancy issues (38.4%) in the 2021-22 school year. Meanwhile, Monroe County schools successfully recorded the lowest truancy rate in the region (3.1%).

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.

In 2022, Illinois had more than 1.9 million students enrolled in nearly 4,000 schools across 852 school districts. There were more than 350,000 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 three percent between the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

Iroquois County Chronic Truancy Rates Over 2 Years

Iroquois County Chronic Truancy Rates by School in 2021-22 School Cycle

Schools	No. of students enrolled	Chronic truancy rates
Ashkum Early Literacy Center	49	-
Central High School	283	5.8%
Chebanse Elementary School	326	6.3%
Cissna Park Elementary School	116	-
Cissna Park Junior High School	61	-
Cissna Park Senior High School	87	-
Crescent City Grade School	66	-
Donovan Elementary School	143	-
Donovan Junior High School	59	-
Donovan Senior High School	65	19.7%
Iroquois West Elementary School/Danforth	96	-
Iroquois West Elementary School/Gilman	154	7.7%
Iroquois West Elementary School/Thawville	125	-
Iroquois West High School	293	11%
Iroquois West Middle School	173	7.3%
John L. Nash Middle School	290	5.4%
Milford Grade School West Campus	347	5.5%
Milford High School Campus	162	16.7%
Wanda Kendall Elementary School	112	-
Watseka Community High School	302	10.2%
Watseka Junior High School	203	18.8%