Ben-Gil Elementary School

Ben-Gil Elementary School is an elementary school of average-sized scale in Gillespie, Illinois, operated by Gillespie CUSD 7, enrolling 523 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 37% larger than typical.

Within Gillespie CUSD 7, which oversees 3 schools and 1,095 students, Ben-Gil Elementary School is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Ben-Gil Elementary School records that 94% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Beyond that, the school reports 3% Black. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at school resources, Ben-Gil Elementary School records 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.4:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 66% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Macoupin County (around 50%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Ben-Gil Elementary School sits in the top 10% of Illinois schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 33.3%; actual is 47.7%, +14.4 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Macoupin County shows median household earnings sit near $70,805, about 20% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Ben-Gil Elementary School is one of 28 public schools in Macoupin County (combined enrollment of about 7,221 students).

The closest other public school is Gillespie High School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Ben-Gil Elementary School at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 44.4%.

Ben-Gil Elementary School operates from a town-center location.

Over the past 7-year window. Ben-Gil Elementary School's enrollment has ticked down 21% since 2018, when it stood at 663 (now 523). Class-load math has tightened: from 14.7:1 in 2018 to 12.4:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for Ben-Gil Elementary School typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.