Center Elem School

As a low-enrollment elementary campus in Freeport, Illinois, Center Elem School caters to 262 students from grades pre-K through 4, operated by Freeport SD 145. That puts it 31% leaner than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Freeport SD 145 runs 8 schools in total, collectively educating 3,703 students. Center Elem School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Center Elem School reports that the most-represented group is White (45%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest reads as 25% Black, 17% multiracial, 12% Hispanic. By comparison, Stephenson County as a whole is about 80% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school reports having 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. About 61% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, 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.

With demographic context factored in, Center Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 36.0%; this one delivers 43.8%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Stephenson County) reports that median household income runs about $64,043, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Center Elem School is one of 23 public schools in Stephenson County (combined enrollment of about 6,092 students).

Blackhawk Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles from this campus. 7 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Center Elem School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 23.7%.

Center Elem School operates from a small-town location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 6%: 280 students in 2018 compared to 262 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 34% to 25% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 14.0:1 in 2018 to 12.1:1 today.

On allk12, members of the Center Elem School community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.