Cornell Elem School

Cornell Elem School is an elementary campus of rural-scale scale in Cornell, Illinois, overseen by Cornell CCSD 426, works with 114 students in grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 70% leaner than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Cornell CCSD 426 is the operating authority for Cornell Elem School, handling staffing, calendars, and reporting to the state department of education.

Looking at the student body, Cornell Elem School lists that nearly all students (93%) are White. Beyond that, the school shows 4% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. Compared to Livingston County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Cornell Elem School logs 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 10.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Cornell Elem School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 26% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is lower than Livingston County's rate of about 48%.

With demographic context factored in, Cornell Elem School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 56.3%, the actual is 43.5%, a residual of -12.8 points.

In the surrounding community, Livingston County reports that median household earnings sit near $73,790, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Livingston County's 24 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,273 students), Cornell Elem School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Woodland High School, around 6.7 miles off. Within ten miles, there are 8 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. On composite proficiency, Cornell Elem School comes 1st of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 33.6%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cornell Elem School has ticked up 6%, going from 108 students in 2018 to 114 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share declined from 8% to 3%. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 8.5:1 in 2018 to 10.4:1 today.

On this page, members of the Cornell Elem School community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.