Jefferson Elem School

Jefferson Elem School, a low-enrollment primary school in Belleville, Illinois, operated by Belleville SD 118, teaches 293 students, covering grades pre-K through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 23% smaller than the state mean of about 381.

Across the 11 schools in Belleville SD 118 (3,275 students total), Jefferson Elem School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Jefferson Elem School logs that the most-represented group is Black (47%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school lists 34% White, 11% multiracial, 8% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 28% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

On the resource side, Jefferson Elem School lists 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 10.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Jefferson Elem School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 70% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against St. Clair County (around 54%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Jefferson Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 31.1%; this one delivers 32.3%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for St. Clair County shows median household income runs about $73,854, roughly 32% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Jefferson Elem School is one of 96 public schools in St. Clair County (combined enrollment of about 40,879 students).

The closest other public school is Douglas Elem School, roughly 0.8 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Jefferson Elem School comes 6th of 8 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 38.0%.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 31%: 422 students in 2018 compared to 293 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 49% to 34% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 15.0:1 in 2018 to 10.9:1 in 2025.

On allk12, members of the Jefferson Elem School community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.