Chatham Elem School

Chatham Elem School is an average-sized elementary-level community in Chatham, Illinois, overseen by Ball Chatham CUSD 5. The school hosts 500 students in grades K through 4. That puts it 31% above the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Chatham Elem School is one of 6 schools operated by Ball Chatham CUSD 5, a district that hosts 4,516 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Chatham Elem School records that the largest single group is White, at 77% of enrollment; the rest is composed of 7% multiracial, 6% Black, 5% Hispanic, 5% Asian. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.5:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. About 31% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Sangamon County runs at roughly 48%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Chatham Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 53.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 65.4%.

In the area at large, census data for Sangamon County shows median household earnings sit near $75,357, about 37% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. Chatham Elem School is one of 77 public schools in Sangamon County (combined enrollment of about 27,345 students).

Nearest neighbor: Glenwood Elementary School, around 1.6 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around Chatham Elem School. On composite proficiency, Chatham Elem School comes 2nd of 7 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 49.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a suburban area.

Five-year trend. Chatham Elem School's enrollment has ticked down 14% since 2018, when it stood at 581 (now 500). Class-load math has fell: from 20.0:1 in 2018 to 16.5:1 in 2025.

On this page, members of the Chatham Elem School community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.