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What's the biggest difference between Meridian Elem School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
460
Elementary
DISTRICT 314 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERIDIAN CUSD 15·NCES 170012300877
Meridian Elementary School
509 S Lewis St, Blue Mound, IL 62513 · (217) 692-2535 · Macon County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL460 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.1:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
48%
221 students
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 75 | 16% |
| Kindergarten | 60 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 77 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 64 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 59 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 60 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 65 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (60) is 8% smaller than its 5th grade class (65).
Student demographics
15%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Meridian CUSD 15. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
47.1%
IL avg 51.0% . +13.2pp since 2023
Math
36.7%
IL avg 37.9% . +1.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 37 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 13 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 1 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.1% | 36.7% |
| 2023-24 | 33.9% | 35.4% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
43.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
43.8%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 44% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Meridian Elementary School
Meridian Elementary School's state test result (43.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian Elementary School this school | 460 | 48.0% | 43.9% |
| Denning Elementary School West Frankfort | 439 | 46.9% | N/A |
| Newton Elementary School Newton | 476 | 49.4% | 53.2% |
| Albion Grade School Albion | 427 | 47.1% | 52.7% |
| Eastland Elementary School Shannon | 433 | 47.3% | 64.1% |
| Winchester Elementary School Winchester | 401 | 47.6% | 46.2% |
Matched among Illinois elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Meridian Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Macon County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.9% | #789 of 1,925 | #5 of 16 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.7% | #1,065 of 2,077 ▼ 421 | #5 of 16 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.1% | #1,103 of 2,077 ▼ 92 | #5 of 16 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 460 | #709 of 2,419 | #9 of 19 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #1,500 of 2,035 | #4 of 18 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 14.8% | #1,760 of 2,042 | #18 of 18 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 48.0% | #1,350 of 2,132 | #16 of 19 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.9% | #816 of 1,461 | #2 of 7 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
460
-1 (0%) vs 2020
+78% since 2000-01, when it was 259
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 460 | 31 | 14.8:1 | 48% (221) |
| 2023-24 | 477 | 30.4 | 15.7:1 | 40% (190) |
| 2022-23 | 456 | 31.2 | 14.6:1 | 38% (171) |
| 2020-21 | 461 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 522 | 27 | 19.3:1 | 41% (212) |
| 2015-16 | 525 | 27 | 19.4:1 | 36% (191) |
| 2010-11 | 228 | 13 | 17.5:1 | 36% (83) |
| 2000-01 | 259 | 17 | 15.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Meridian Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (522 to 460); teachers up 15% (27 to 31).
About Meridian Elementary School
Meridian Elementary School is an elementary school in Blue Mound, Illinois, reachable at (217) 692-2535. The school enrolls 460 students in pre-K through 5. Across elementary schools in Illinois, the average enrollment is about 381.
Federal data list 3 schools in Meridian CUSD 15, with 942 students enrolled.
White students account for 92% of the school's enrollment. The rest of enrollment is 4% multiracial. Among all residents of Macon County, the White share is about 74%. A diversity index of 15% means there is a 15% chance two randomly chosen students at Meridian Elementary School are from different groups.
Staffing at Meridian Elementary School comes to 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 14.8:1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in Illinois is 13.9:1. Meridian Elementary School counts 48% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 61% average for public schools in Macon County is 13 points.
After adjusting for student poverty, Meridian Elementary School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Illinois schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 43.9%; the prediction is 43.8%.
In Macon County, home to about 101,849 people, median household income comes to about $62,666, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 24%, and about 10% of people live in poverty. Macon County's 43 public schools enroll about 14,702 students and include Meridian Elementary School.
A public school about 6.7 miles away, Meridian Middle School, is the closest to Meridian Elementary School. In all, 4 other public schools sit within ten miles of Meridian Elementary School. Of 8 schools in the immediate area with test results, Meridian Elementary School ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
The NCES locale for Meridian Elementary School is Rural: Distant, which covers schools in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 461 in 2020-21, 460 in 2024-25.
Use the discussion section to ask about open houses, carpools, and field trips at Meridian Elementary School. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Macon County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
101,849
Census ACS
Median income
$62,666
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
43
14,702 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Meridian CUSD 15
- Meridian High SchoolHigh · 287 students
- Meridian Middle SchoolMiddle · 195 students
Other Meridian Elementary schools
10 other US public schools in 8 states are named Meridian Elementary. Meridian Elementary School is the 5th largest of the 11.
- Meridian Elementary SchoolMounds, IL · 213 students
- Meridian ElementaryEl Cajon, CA · 570 students
- Meridian Elementary SchoolSANFORD, MI · 537 students
- Meridian Elementary SchoolBROOMFIELD, CO · 525 students
- MERIDIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLMERIDIAN, ID · 468 students
Nearby schools
- Meridian Middle School6.7 mi · 195
- Meridian High School6.7 mi · 287
- Gregory Intermediate7.0 mi · 200
- Central A & M High School7.1 mi · 215
- Sangamon Valley Primary School11.0 mi · 170
- American Dreamer STEM Academy11.2 mi · 423
Frequently asked questions
About Meridian Elementary SchoolHow large is Meridian Elementary School?
Meridian Elementary School enrolls approximately 460 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Meridian Elementary School serve?
Meridian Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meridian Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Meridian Elementary School is approximately 14.8:1 (31 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Meridian Elementary School?
Meridian Elementary School reports a student body of 92% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Meridian Elementary School public or private?
Meridian Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Meridian CUSD 15.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.