Illini Bluffs Middle School

Set in Glasford, Illinois, Illini Bluffs Middle School is a minimally staffed junior high, operated by Illini Bluffs CUSD 327. It serves 181 students across grades 6 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 462 students per school, that is 61% smaller than typical.

Illini Bluffs CUSD 327 comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 855 students; Illini Bluffs Middle School is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Illini Bluffs Middle School reports that nearly all students (92%) are White. Other groups include 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 67% White, putting the school's mix noticeably more White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, Illini Bluffs Middle School reports 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.5:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. An estimated 30% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Peoria County runs at roughly 57%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Illini Bluffs Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 54.3%, the actual is 52.7%, a residual of -1.6 points.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Peoria County put median household earnings sit near $65,108, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Illini Bluffs Middle School is one of 81 public schools in Peoria County (combined enrollment of about 27,827 students).

Nearest neighbor: Illini Bluffs High School, around 0.1 miles off. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Illini Bluffs Middle School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 46.6%.

Illini Bluffs Middle School operates from a countryside location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 19%: 223 students in 2018 compared to 181 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 20.3:1 in 2018 to 14.5:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Illini Bluffs Middle School typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.