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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

2021-22 School Year Attendance: Boone County suffered a truancy rate of 16.8%

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Poplar Grove Elementary School Principal Mrs. Heather Walsh (2023) | Poplar Grove Elementary School

Poplar Grove Elementary School Principal Mrs. Heather Walsh (2023) | Poplar Grove Elementary School

Students in Boone County schools were truant 16.8% 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 8,975 students enrolled in Boone County in the 2021-22 school year, meaning 1,512 students were absent throughout the year.

The dropout rate in the county was 5.7%, 2.4% 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.

Boone County Chronic Truancy Rates Over 2 Years

2020-212021-220.02.55.07.510.012.515.017.520.022.525.021.321.322.822.816.816.822.122.1Boone CountyState

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

SchoolsNo. of students enrolledChronic truancy rates
Belvidere Central Middle School91112.6%
Belvidere High School1,23736.9%
Belvidere North High School1,39130%
Belvidere South Middle School78015.3%
Caledonia Elementary School4068.4%
Capron Elementary School159-
Lincoln Elementary School5139.2%
Manchester Elementary School147-
Meehan Elementary School59511.8%
North Boone High School4896.7%
North Boone Middle School2377.8%
North Boone Upper Elementary School2396%
Perry Elementary School24010.7%
Poplar Grove Elementary School2478%
Seth Whitman Elementary School6407.3%
Washington Academy68614%

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