East Prairie Middle School

East Prairie Middle School, an intimate middle school in Tuscola, Illinois, run under Tuscola CUSD 301, works with 271 students, covering grades 5 through 8. That puts it 41% smaller than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 462 students.

Tuscola CUSD 301 comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 904 students; East Prairie Middle School is among them.

In terms of who attends, East Prairie Middle School lists that 91% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Beyond that, the school reports 4% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. Compared to Douglas County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at the economic backdrop, East Prairie Middle School lists 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.4:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. Around 43% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, East Prairie Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 46.8%, the actual is 54.3%, a residual of +7.5 points.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Douglas County indicate the typical household earns roughly $77,320 per year, about 21% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. East Prairie Middle School is one of 10 public schools in Douglas County (combined enrollment of about 2,780 students).

Nearest neighbor: Tuscola High School, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around East Prairie Middle School. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), East Prairie Middle School ranks 1st on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 39.6%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Five-year trend. East Prairie Middle School's enrollment has remained close to its prior level since 2018, when it stood at 271 (now 271). The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 13.2:1 in 2018 to 11.4:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.