Cairo Elementary School

Cairo Elementary School is an elementary campus of rural-scale scale in Cairo, Illinois, operated by Cairo USD 1, instructing 148 students in grades pre-K through 6. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 61% smaller than typical.

Cairo USD 1 runs 2 schools in total, collectively educating 278 students. Cairo Elementary School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Cairo Elementary School shows that 74% of the student body identifies as Black. The remainder breaks down as 14% White, 11% multiracial. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 33%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 10.2:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Cairo Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 14.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 9.8%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Alexander County put median household earnings sit near $47,043, 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Alexander County runs 7 public schools (combined enrollment of about 582 students), of which Cairo Elementary School is one.

Cairo Jr/Sr High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Cairo Elementary School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 33.1%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cairo Elementary School has declined 31%, going from 213 students in 2018 to 148 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share ticked down from 79% to 74%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 16.6:1 in 2018 to 10.2:1 today.

On allk12, members of the Cairo Elementary School community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.