Meridian Jr High School

Meridian Jr High School operates as a close-knit junior high in Stillman Valley, Illinois, overseen by Meridian CUSD 223. Current enrollment sits at 328 students spanning grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 29% below the state mean of about 462.

Across the 4 schools in Meridian CUSD 223 (1,469 students total), Meridian Jr High School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Meridian Jr High School logs that nearly all students (86%) are White. Other groups include 11% Hispanic. Compared to Ogle County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Meridian Jr High School has 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.4:1. The state averages about 13.0:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 30% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Ogle County (around 40%), the school's rate is noticeably below typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Meridian Jr High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 54.3%; this one delivers 50.2%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Ogle County indicate median household earnings sit near $82,132, roughly 24% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. In all, Ogle County runs 26 public schools (combined enrollment of about 8,269 students), of which Meridian Jr High School is one.

Highland Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around Meridian Jr High School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Meridian Jr High School at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 54.8%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 18%: 401 students in 2018 compared to 328 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share rose from 81% to 86%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 17.1:1 in 2018 to 13.4:1 today.

On the community side, the feed for Meridian Jr High School typically covers sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.