Big Hollow Primary School

Big Hollow Primary School, a medium-sized elementary campus in Ingleside, Illinois, part of Big Hollow SD 38, works with 387 students, covering grades pre-K through 1.

Across the 3 schools in Big Hollow SD 38 (1,653 students total), Big Hollow Primary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Big Hollow Primary School records that the largest single group is White at 47%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder looks like 33% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 6% multiracial, 6% Black. By comparison, Lake County as a whole is about 61% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.9:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. Roughly 35% of students at Big Hollow Primary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Lake County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

Around the school, census data for Lake County shows median household income runs about $110,416, 48% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Lake County's 214 public schools (combined enrollment of about 118,032 students), Big Hollow Primary School is one campus in the mix.

Big Hollow Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Over the past 7-year window. Big Hollow Primary School's enrollment has remained close to its prior level since 2018, when it stood at 385 (now 387). White enrollment moved from 60% to 47% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 14.3:1 in 2018 to 11.9:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Big Hollow Primary School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.