Gillespie Middle School

Set in Gillespie, Illinois, Gillespie Middle School is a tight-knit 6-8 campus, run under Gillespie CUSD 7. It works with 244 students across grades 6 through 8. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 462 students each, so Gillespie Middle School sits 47% below that benchmark.

Gillespie Middle School is one of 3 schools operated by Gillespie CUSD 7, a district that hosts 1,095 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Gillespie Middle School shows that 94% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder is composed of 3% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Gillespie Middle School has 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.7:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 63% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Macoupin County (around 50%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Gillespie Middle School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 35.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 41.2%.

In the surrounding community, Macoupin County reports that median household earnings sit near $70,805, about 20% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Macoupin County runs 28 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,221 students), of which Gillespie Middle School is one.

The closest other public school is Gillespie High School, roughly 0.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Gillespie Middle School at 6th of 9; the average score across the group is 45.2%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Gillespie Middle School's enrollment has declined 13% since 2018, when it stood at 280 (now 244). Class-load math has pulled in: from 18.8:1 in 2018 to 13.7:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.