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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Diversity In Illinois Schools Keeps Changing

Flickr user Brent Hoard "ECU School of Education Class Room" (CC BY 2.0)

The diversity makeup of Illinois schools is changing. That’s according to information released by the state.

If you moved every desk, from every Illinois school, into one giant classroom, more than half of the kids in those seats would be students of color.

That's on par with national figures. Last year, the U.S. Department of Education signaled that minorities would outnumber whites at the nation's public schools.

The Illinois State Board of Education's survey of the racial and ethnic diversity of Illinois schools shows that Asians comprise about 5 percent , blacks 17.5 percent, and Hispanics make up a quarter of the state's collective student body.

State Schools Superintendent Tony Smith calls it a major transition.

"Understanding the data is, I think, in Illinois is important for the country,” Smith said. “We in Illinois most nearly mirror the demographics of the country. And increasingly that story is told by the transition in demographics."

Demographics also show -- for the second year in a row -- low income children outnumber middle class ones.

Last year, 52 percent of Illinois students came from families that receive public aid, live in substitute care, or are eligible for free or reduced school lunches. This year, that ticked up to 54 percent.

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.