Enrollment
322
Elementary
DISTRICT 354 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MCLEAN COUNTY USD 5·NCES 172862005321
Parkside Elementary School
1900 W College Ave, Normal, IL 61761 · (309) 557-4422 · McLean County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL322 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.9:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
53%
171 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 56%
Community
0
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 | 2 | 1% |
| Kindergarten | 48 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 55 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 52 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 70 | 22% |
| Grade 4 | 47 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 47 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 1 | 0% |
Student demographics
66%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · 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
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
38.9%
IL avg 51.0% . +19.7pp since 2023
Math
32.5%
IL avg 37.9% . +14.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 33 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 20 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 15 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 38.9% | 32.5% |
| 2023-24 | 19.2% | 17.7% |
% 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
32.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.9%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 32% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% 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 Parkside Elementary School
Parkside Elementary School's state test result (32.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkside Elementary School this school | 322 | 53.1% | 32.2% |
| Pepper Ridge Elementary School Bloomington | 287 | 52.6% | 44.2% |
| Benjamin Franklin Elementary School Moline | 290 | 56.6% | 39.7% |
| William F Murphy Elementary School Woodridge | 399 | 49.9% | 61.5% |
| Jones-Farrar Intl Baccalaureate Freeport | 350 | 52.6% | 25.9% |
| Olson Park Elementary School Machesney Park | 294 | 54.8% | 52.9% |
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 Parkside Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In McLean County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 32.2% | #1,187 of 1,925 | #22 of 29 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.5% | #1,198 of 2,077 ▲ 82 | #19 of 29 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.9% | #1,386 of 2,077 ▲ 214 | #23 of 29 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 322 | #1,415 of 2,419 | #15 of 32 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.0:1 | #1,232 of 2,035 | #15 of 30 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 66.3% | #297 of 2,042 | #14 of 30 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 53.1% | #1,213 of 2,132 | #12 of 31 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.5% | #523 of 615 | #5 of 6 |
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
322
+65 (+25%) vs 2020
+31% since 1990-91, when it was 245
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 | 322 | 23 | 14.0:1 | 53% (171) |
| 2023-24 | 309 | 22.9 | 13.5:1 | 56% (172) |
| 2022-23 | 292 | 21.8 | 13.4:1 | 54% (157) |
| 2020-21 | 257 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 314 | 22.7 | 13.9:1 | 57% (178) |
| 2015-16 | 357 | 22 | 16.2:1 | 54% (192) |
| 2010-11 | 303 | 20 | 15.2:1 | 52% (157) |
| 2000-01 | 323 | 24 | 13.5:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 245 | 18 | 13.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Parkside Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (314 to 322); teachers up 2% (22.7 to 23).
About Parkside Elementary School
Parkside Elementary School runs as a small elementary school in Normal, Illinois. A federal count lists 322 students at the school, in pre-K through 5.
McLean County USD 5 has 12,407 students spread across 24 schools.
White students make up a majority at Parkside Elementary School, at 51%. Smaller groups are 20% Hispanic, 14% Black, and 14% multiracial. For comparison, the population of McLean County is roughly 78% White. Parkside Elementary School's diversity index is 66%, against a US figure of 70%.
Its 23 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 14.0:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Illinois average 13.9:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 53%. The gap from the 40% average for public schools in McLean County is 13 points.
Parkside Elementary School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Illinois schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 32.2% and a predicted 40.9%.
County data help place the school in context: in McLean County, the median household income is $79,905, about 47% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. In all, McLean County has 60 public schools and roughly 23,759 students.
The shortest distance from Parkside Elementary School to another public school is about 0.1 miles, to Parkside Jr High School. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Among 7 nearby schools that report test results, Parkside Elementary School ranks 5th on proficiency.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Suburb: Mid-size, meaning it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Compared with 2020-21, the school had 65 more students in 2024-25.
Discussion on this page can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
McLean County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
171,556
Census ACS
Median income
$79,905
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
47%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
60
23,759 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in McLean County USD 5
- Normal Community High SchoolHigh · 2,079 students
- Normal Community West High SchoolHigh · 1,590 students
- Evans Junior High SchoolMiddle · 778 students
- Kingsley Jr High SchoolMiddle · 730 students
- Benjamin Elementary SchoolElementary · 607 students
- Parkside Jr High SchoolMiddle · 598 students
Other schools in Normal
- Normal Community High SchoolHigh · 2,079 students
- Normal Community West High SchoolHigh · 1,590 students
- Kingsley Jr High SchoolMiddle · 730 students
- University High SchoolHigh · 624 students
- Parkside Jr High SchoolMiddle · 598 students
- Chiddix Jr High SchoolMiddle · 597 students
Other Parkside Elementary schools
26 other US public schools in 19 states are named Parkside Elementary. Parkside Elementary School is the 22nd largest of the 27.
- Parkside Elementary SchoolLawrenceville, IL · 528 students
- Parkside ElementaryFredericksburg, VA · 946 students
- Parkside Elementary SchoolGEORGETOWN, TX · 807 students
- Parkside Elementary SchoolColumbus, IN · 733 students
- Parkside ElementaryMorrisville, NC · 730 students
Nearby schools
- Parkside Jr High School0.1 mi · 598
- Normal Community West High School0.8 mi · 1,590
- YBMC Charter School1.1 mi · 16
- Oakdale Elementary School1.2 mi · 386
- Kingsley Jr High School1.4 mi · 730
- University High School1.5 mi · 624
Frequently asked questions
About Parkside Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Parkside Elementary School?
Parkside Elementary School enrolls approximately 322 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Parkside Elementary School serve?
Parkside Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Parkside Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Parkside Elementary School is approximately 14.0:1 (23 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Parkside Elementary School?
At Parkside Elementary School, the student body is approximately 51% White, 20% Hispanic, 14% Black, 2% Asian, 14% Two or more.
Is Parkside Elementary School public or private?
Parkside Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by McLean County USD 5.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.