Cobden High School

As a very small high school in Cobden, Illinois, Cobden High School enrolls 135 students from grades 9 through 12, overseen by Cobden SUD 17. Enrollment runs roughly 84% leaner than the state mean of about 834.

Cobden SUD 17 comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 454 students; Cobden High School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Cobden High School logs that 56% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder breaks down as 38% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. By comparison, Union County as a whole is about 90% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 9.8:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 13.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 96% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Union County runs at roughly 63%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Cobden High School sits in the top 10% of Illinois schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 16.3%; actual is 39.2%, +22.9 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Across the wider county, Union County reports that median household earnings sit near $55,728, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Cobden High School is one of 18 public schools in Union County (combined enrollment of about 2,478 students).

Nearest neighbor: Cobden Jr High School, around 0.0 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Cobden High School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Cobden High School at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 46.2%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 25%: 181 students in 2018 compared to 135 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 67% to 56%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 12.1:1 in 2018 to 9.8:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.