Carl Sandburg Middle Sch

Carl Sandburg Middle Sch is a middle-grades school of middle-of-the-pack scale in Freeport, Illinois, part of Freeport SD 145, caters to 430 students in grades 5 through 6.

Freeport SD 145 runs 8 schools in total, collectively educating 3,703 students. Carl Sandburg Middle Sch is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Carl Sandburg Middle Sch reports that the most-represented group is White (36%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest is composed of 28% Black, 19% Hispanic, 16% multiracial. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 80%.

In terms of school funding signals, The school currently runs with 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.5:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. Around 68% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Stephenson County (around 50%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), On a poverty-adjusted basis, Carl Sandburg Middle Sch sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 32.2%; actual is 18.3%, a gap of -13.9 points.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Stephenson County indicate median household income runs about $64,043, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. In all, Stephenson County runs 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,092 students), of which Carl Sandburg Middle Sch is one.

Empire Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 7 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Carl Sandburg Middle Sch at 8th of 9; the average score across the group is 27.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 10%: 479 students in 2018 compared to 430 in 2025. The White share of enrollment fell from 58% to 36% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 13.2:1 in 2018 to 11.5:1 today.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.