Cairo Jr/Sr High School

Set in Cairo, Illinois, Cairo Jr/Sr High School is a minimally staffed 9-12 campus, part of Cairo USD 1. It hosts 130 students across grades 7 through 12. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 834 students each, so Cairo Jr/Sr High School sits 84% smaller than that benchmark.

Cairo Jr/Sr High School is one of 2 schools operated by Cairo USD 1, a district that works with 278 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Cairo Jr/Sr High School shows that Black students make up the majority at 78%. Other groups include 11% White, 8% multiracial, 2% Hispanic. That is meaningfully more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 33%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 10.8:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.8:1 average. About 97% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, Cairo Jr/Sr High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 15.5%; this one delivers 5.6%.

In the area at large, Alexander County reports that median household earnings sit near $47,043, about 13% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Across Alexander County's 7 public schools (combined enrollment of about 582 students), Cairo Jr/Sr High School is one campus in the mix.

Cairo Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Within ten miles, there are 3 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Cairo Jr/Sr High School at 7th of 7; the average score across the group is 31.1%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cairo Jr/Sr High School has shrank 24%, going from 170 students in 2018 to 130 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 87% to 78% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 12.7:1 in 2018 to 10.8:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.