Carthage Primary School

Set in Carthage, Illinois, Carthage Primary School is a small elementary campus, overseen by Carthage ESD 317. It teaches 238 students across grades pre-K through 4. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 38% smaller than typical.

Across the 2 schools in Carthage ESD 317 (405 students total), Carthage Primary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Carthage Primary School logs that nearly all students (85%) are White. The remainder breaks down as 10% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 94% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Carthage Primary School lists 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.0:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 43% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Hancock County (around 54%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Carthage Primary School is in the bottom 10% of Illinois public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 46.5%; Carthage Primary School posts 30.1%, -16.4 points below that line.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Hancock County) records that median household income runs about $65,865, roughly 25% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Carthage Primary School is one of 15 public schools in Hancock County (combined enrollment of about 2,703 students).

Illini West High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Carthage Primary School. On composite proficiency, Carthage Primary School comes 8th of 8 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 43.8%.

Carthage Primary School operates from an outlying location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 9%: 261 students in 2018 compared to 238 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 97% to 85%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 17.3:1 in 2018 to 14.0:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.