Cowden-Herrick Grade School

Cowden-Herrick Grade School, a tight-knit primary school in Herrick, Illinois, run under Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A, hosts 175 students, covering grades K through 5. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Cowden-Herrick Grade School sits 54% leaner than that benchmark.

Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A comprises 2 schools with combined enrollment of 343 students; Cowden-Herrick Grade School is among them.

On demographics, Cowden-Herrick Grade School records that 98% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

In terms of school funding signals, Cowden-Herrick Grade School records 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.7:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 59% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Shelby County's rate of about 46%.

With demographic context factored in, Cowden-Herrick Grade School is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 37.5%; this one delivers 63.5%, a residual of +25.9 points.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Shelby County indicate median household earnings sit near $72,095, about 18% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Shelby County's 14 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,922 students), Cowden-Herrick Grade School is one campus in the mix.

Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 6.6 miles from this campus. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Cowden-Herrick Grade School at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 48.2%.

Cowden-Herrick Grade School operates from a small-town location.

Over the past 7-year window. Cowden-Herrick Grade School's enrollment has edged up 18% since 2018, when it stood at 148 (now 175).

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.