Marquette Elem School

Marquette Elem School is an elementary school of intimate scale in Machesney Park, Illinois, part of Harlem UD 122, enrolling 268 students in grades 1 through 3. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Marquette Elem School sits 30% below that benchmark.

Harlem UD 122 comprises 11 schools with combined enrollment of 6,108 students; Marquette Elem School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Marquette Elem School logs that White students make up the majority at 67%. The remainder reads as 16% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, 7% Black. That composition is broadly in line with Winnebago County as a whole.

On the resource side, Marquette Elem School lists 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.5:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 67% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.

After controlling for student poverty, Marquette Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 32.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 30.6%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Winnebago County put median household income runs about $65,837, 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. In all, Winnebago County runs 94 public schools (combined enrollment of about 44,103 students), of which Marquette Elem School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Machesney Elem School, around 0.6 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Marquette Elem School. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Marquette Elem School ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 36.0%.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Marquette Elem School has ticked down 14%, going from 310 students in 2018 to 268 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share shrank from 77% to 67%.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.