Clara Peterson Elem School

Clara Peterson Elem School, a mid-sized elementary campus in Paxton, Illinois, part of Paxton-Buckley-Loda CUD 10, caters to 564 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Clara Peterson Elem School sits 48% larger than that benchmark.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda CUD 10 runs 3 schools in total, collectively educating 1,230 students. Clara Peterson Elem School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Clara Peterson Elem School records that nearly all students (82%) are White; the rest breaks down as 10% Hispanic, 6% multiracial.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.8:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 40% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is lower than Ford County's rate of about 48%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Clara Peterson Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 48.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 38.0%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Ford County indicate median household earnings sit near $62,439, roughly 19% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Ford County's 9 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,450 students), Clara Peterson Elem School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School, around 1.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Clara Peterson Elem School. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Clara Peterson Elem School ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 23.7%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 95%: 289 students in 2018 compared to 564 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 90% to 82% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.