Jefferson Elem School

Jefferson Elem School is one of the sprawling intermediate schools in Charleston, Illinois, one of the schools within Charleston CUSD 1, with 698 students on its rolls from grades 4 through 6. Compared to the state average of about 462 students per school, that is 51% above typical.

Charleston CUSD 1 runs 6 schools in total, collectively educating 2,744 students. Jefferson Elem School is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Jefferson Elem School logs that White students make up the majority at 75%. Beyond that, the school records 10% Black, 7% Hispanic, 6% multiracial. By comparison, Coles County as a whole is about 90% White, so the school skews considerably less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Jefferson Elem School has 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.1:1. The state averages around 13.0:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 52% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

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 41.7%; this one delivers 32.4%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Coles County put median household earnings sit near $56,478, about 27% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Coles County's 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,973 students), Jefferson Elem School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Charleston Middle School, roughly 0.8 miles away. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Jefferson Elem School comes 6th of 7 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 37.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-center area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Jefferson Elem School's enrollment has climbed 4% since 2018, when it stood at 673 (now 698). Over the same period, the White share contracted from 84% to 75%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 20.4:1 in 2018 to 16.1:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.