GCMS Middle School

As a close-knit middle school in Gibson City, Illinois, GCMS Middle School caters to 211 students from grades 6 through 8, overseen by Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley CUSD 5. That puts it 54% leaner than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 462 students.

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley CUSD 5 comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 975 students; GCMS Middle School is among them.

Demographically, GCMS Middle School shows that the student body is overwhelmingly White (83%). Other groups include 10% Hispanic, 6% multiracial.

On the resource side, The school employs 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 10.2:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. About 39% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Ford County runs at roughly 48%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, GCMS Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 49.1%; this one delivers 54.5%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Ford County indicate median household income runs about $62,439, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. GCMS Middle School is one of 9 public schools in Ford County (combined enrollment of about 2,450 students).

The closest other public school is GCMS Elementary School, roughly 0.4 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around GCMS Middle School. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), GCMS Middle School ranks 1st on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 44.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at GCMS Middle School has edged down 7%, going from 227 students in 2018 to 211 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share climbed from 2% to 10%. Class-load math has fell: from 11.9:1 in 2018 to 10.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the GCMS Middle School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.