Galena High School

Galena High School is a minimally staffed 9-12 campus in Galena, Illinois, part of Galena USD 120. The school hosts 260 students in grades 9 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 69% smaller than the state mean of about 834.

Within Galena USD 120, which oversees 2 schools and 836 students, Galena High School is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Galena High School logs that White students make up the majority at 76%. Other groups include 19% Hispanic, 3% Asian. By comparison, Jo Daviess County as a whole is about 94% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Galena High School records 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.6:1. The state averages around 13.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 35% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Galena High School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 51.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 51.0%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Jo Daviess County shows median household income runs about $73,993, 29% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. Galena High School is one of 21 public schools in Jo Daviess County (combined enrollment of about 3,012 students).

Galena Elementary and Middle Sch is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Galena High School ranks 7th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 60.5%.

The school occupies a rural site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Galena High School has increased 7%, going from 243 students in 2018 to 260 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 82% to 76% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.