Dr Howard Elem School

Dr Howard Elem School, an average-sized elementary school in Champaign, Illinois, overseen by Champaign CUSD 4, hosts 426 students, covering grades K through 5.

Within Champaign CUSD 4, which oversees 18 schools and 10,598 students, Dr Howard Elem School is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Dr Howard Elem School lists that the most-represented group is Black (48%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder reads as 21% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 8% multiracial. By comparison, Champaign County as a whole is about 14% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Dr Howard Elem School has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.7:1. The state averages about 13.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 66% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Champaign County (around 53%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Dr Howard Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 33.1%; this one delivers 24.0%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Champaign County shows median household earnings sit near $63,683, about 46% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Dr Howard Elem School is one of 66 public schools in Champaign County (combined enrollment of about 25,919 students).

Central High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Dr Howard Elem School at 7th of 8; the average score across the group is 36.3%.

The campus sits in a downtown setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Dr Howard Elem School's enrollment has ticked up 36% since 2018, when it stood at 314 (now 426). Over the same period, the Black share ticked up from 36% to 48%. Class-load math has rose: from 12.1:1 in 2018 to 13.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.