Central Jr High School

Central Jr High School is one of the modestly sized middle-grades schools in Belleville, Illinois, part of Belleville SD 118, with 308 students on its rolls from grades 7 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 33% smaller than the state mean of about 462.

Across the 11 schools in Belleville SD 118 (3,275 students total), Central Jr High School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Central Jr High School lists that 44% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest looks like 40% Black, 11% multiracial, 4% Hispanic. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 60%.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Central Jr High School has 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.7:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 64% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is higher than St. Clair County's rate of about 54%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Central Jr High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 34.6%; this one delivers 45.6%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for St. Clair County indicate the typical household earns roughly $73,854 per year, about 32% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Central Jr High School is one of 96 public schools in St. Clair County (combined enrollment of about 40,879 students).

Westhaven Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Central Jr High School comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 39.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Central Jr High School has shrank 24%, going from 405 students in 2018 to 308 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 54% to 44%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 15.8:1 in 2018 to 12.7:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.