Black Hawk Elem School

Black Hawk Elem School is a tight-knit elementary-level community in Springfield, Illinois, run under Springfield SD 186. The school enrolls 234 students in grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 39% leaner than the state mean of about 381.

Black Hawk Elem School is one of 31 schools operated by Springfield SD 186, a district that caters to 13,014 students overall.

On demographics, Black Hawk Elem School lists that 50% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest consists of 21% White, 20% multiracial, 9% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 13% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Black Hawk Elem School has 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.7:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. An estimated 78% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is above Sangamon County's rate of about 48%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Black Hawk Elem School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 26.4%, the actual is 24.3%, a residual of -2.1 points.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Sangamon County) reports that median household income runs about $75,357, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Sangamon County runs 77 public schools (combined enrollment of about 27,345 students), of which Black Hawk Elem School is one.

Early Learning Center 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. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Black Hawk Elem School at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 30.5%.

The campus sits in an urban setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 4%: 244 students in 2018 compared to 234 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share shrank from 34% to 21%.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.