Centralia Jr High School

Centralia Jr High School is a middle school of average-sized scale in Centralia, Illinois, part of Centralia SD 135, educateing 559 students in grades 4 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 462 students per school, that is 21% bigger than typical.

Within Centralia SD 135, which oversees 4 schools and 1,068 students, Centralia Jr High School is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Centralia Jr High School logs that 59% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 19% Black, 14% multiracial, 7% Hispanic. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 90%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Centralia Jr High School has 48 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.6:1. The state averages around 13.0:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 99% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Marion County runs at roughly 64%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Centralia Jr High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 14.3%; this one delivers 22.9%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Marion County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $61,240 per year, about 17% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Across Marion County's 27 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,636 students), Centralia Jr High School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Centralia Pre-Kindergarten Ctr, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 7 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Centralia Jr High School at 7th of 7; the average score across the group is 36.0%.

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

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Centralia Jr High School has climbed 273%, going from 150 students in 2018 to 559 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment shrank from 23% to 19% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 15.5:1 in 2018 to 11.6:1 today.

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.