Illinois public school enrollment drop 4th-worst in U.S.


The state saw a drop of over 10% in the period from 2014 to 2024, five times the national rate.

Illinois public schools are losing students at a faster rate than in nearly every other state.

From fall 2014 to fall 2024, public elementary and secondary school enrollment dropped 10% in Illinois, according to a recently released report by the National Center for Education Statistics. The national decline was 2%.

Public school enrollment is falling across much of the country, but some states are losing students at a far faster rate than others.

Illinois ranked fourth-worst in the nation for enrollment loss percentage in the period, behind only West Virginia, Mississippi and New Hampshire.

The struggling system

At least some of the drop can almost certainly be attributed to Illinois’ ongoing outmigration problem. Still, it is not difficult to guess why fewer Illinois families are choosing public schools for their children.

Just over half of the state’s third- through eighth-grade students were proficient in reading and only 39% were proficient in math on 2025 assessments, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Such alarming outcomes will leave families little trust in public schools.

Also, 1-in-4 Illinois students are chronically absent. Schools are not only struggling to retain students but also to engage the students already enrolled.

A wake-up call

Illinois’ ranking as the fourth-worst state for student enrollment loss should serve as a wake-up call for state education leaders. The decline reflects a serious loss of confidence in Illinois’ public education system.

State education officials need to pursue policies that target failing standards and chronic absenteeism and restore trust by promoting transparency. One example is Virginia, which has taken steps to improve accountability and restore confidence in public education.

With fewer students and declining public trust, Illinois’ public education is on a dangerous path.