Carl Sandburg Elem School

Located at 1924 Reynolds Dr, in Charleston, Illinois, Carl Sandburg Elem School is a moderately sized elementary school that educates 555 students (grades 1 through 3), overseen by Charleston CUSD 1. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 46% above typical.

Charleston CUSD 1 comprises 6 schools with combined enrollment of 2,744 students; Carl Sandburg Elem School is among them.

In terms of who attends, Carl Sandburg Elem School records that 73% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 9% Black, 9% multiracial, 7% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 90% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Carl Sandburg Elem School has 40 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.1:1. The state averages about 13.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 55% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Carl Sandburg Elem School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 40.0%, the actual is 45.5%, a residual of +5.5 points.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Coles County) records that the typical household earns roughly $56,478 per year, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Coles County runs 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,973 students), of which Carl Sandburg Elem School is one.

Mark Twain Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.4 miles from this campus. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Carl Sandburg Elem School at 2nd of 7; the average score across the group is 35.8%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Carl Sandburg Elem School has rose 8%, going from 516 students in 2018 to 555 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 82% to 73%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 15.2:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.