AlWood Elem School

As a modestly sized elementary campus in Alpha, Illinois, AlWood Elem School instructs 172 students from grades pre-K through 5, part of AlWood CUSD 225. That puts it 55% leaner than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Across the 2 schools in AlWood CUSD 225 (356 students total), AlWood Elem School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, AlWood Elem School logs that 95% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder reads as 4% multiracial.

Looking at the economic backdrop, AlWood Elem School lists 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 8.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting AlWood Elem School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 43% of students at AlWood Elem School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, AlWood Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 46.7%; this one delivers 47.6%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Henry County put median household income runs about $71,911, 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Across Henry County's 28 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,723 students), AlWood Elem School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is AlWood Middle/High School, roughly 3.6 miles away. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), AlWood Elem School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 49.8%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 11%: 194 students in 2018 compared to 172 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 11.4:1 in 2018 to 8.9:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.