Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School

Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School, a very small secondary school in Cowden, Illinois, part of Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A, enrolls 168 students, covering grades 6 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 834 students per school, that is 80% leaner than typical.

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

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

Looking at school resources, The school lists 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 9.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.8:1, putting Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 64% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is north of Shelby County's rate of about 46%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High 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 34.4%; this one delivers 51.2%, a residual of +16.8 points.

In the broader community, Shelby County reports that the typical household earns roughly $72,095 per year, about 18% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Across Shelby County's 14 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,922 students), Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Beecher City Jr-Sr High School, roughly 5.2 miles away. 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 Jr/Sr High School at 5th of 8; the average score across the group is 53.4%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Looking at the recent track record. Cowden-Herrick Jr/Sr High School's enrollment has edged down 18% since 2018, when it stood at 205 (now 168). The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 12.5:1 in 2018 to 9.9:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.