Dirksen Elementary School

Located at 1000 Koch St, in Pekin, Illinois, Dirksen Elementary School is an intimate elementary school that instructs 165 students (grades K through 3), one of the schools within Pekin PSD 108. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 57% leaner than typical.

Pekin PSD 108 comprises 11 schools with combined enrollment of 3,126 students; Dirksen Elementary School is among them.

On demographics, Dirksen Elementary School reports that the student body is overwhelmingly White (90%). The remainder reads as 5% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Dirksen Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 73% of students at Dirksen Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Tazewell County runs at roughly 39%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Dirksen Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 29.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 18.4%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Tazewell County indicate median household income runs about $77,982, 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Dirksen Elementary School is one of 56 public schools in Tazewell County (combined enrollment of about 18,581 students).

The closest other public school is Pekin Preschool Family Ed Center, roughly 0.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Dirksen Elementary School comes 8th of 8 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 35.3%.

Dirksen Elementary School operates from a bedroom-community location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Dirksen Elementary School has decreased 12%, going from 188 students in 2018 to 165 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 17.3:1 in 2018 to 15.7:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.