Enrollment
87
Elementary
DISTRICT 65 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PAW PAW CUSD 271·NCES 172235002503
Paw Paw Elem School
511 Chapman St, Paw Paw, IL 61353 · (815) 627-2841 · Lee County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL87 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
9.2:1
10 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 8.2:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
33%
29 students
DISTRICT 43% · 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
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. 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
Paw Paw Elem School→Paw Paw Junior High School
Based on grade levels within Paw Paw CUSD 271. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
59.0%
IL avg 51.0% . +31.1pp since 2023
Math
38.5%
IL avg 37.9% . +12.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 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 31 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 13 points.
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
45.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.3%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 52% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
87
-11 (-11%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
9.2:1
was 10.1:1
% White
84%
was 80%
% Hispanic
9%
was 14%
% Black
3%
was 5%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Paw Paw Elem School
Paw Paw Elem School is a rural-scale elementary campus in Paw Paw, Illinois, operated by Paw Paw CUSD 271. The school hosts 87 students in grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 77% smaller than the state mean of about 381.
Across the 2 schools in Paw Paw CUSD 271 (129 students total), Paw Paw Elem School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.
Demographically, Paw Paw Elem School lists that 84% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder reads as 9% Hispanic, 3% Black, 3% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.
In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 9.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Paw Paw Elem School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 33% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is lower than Lee County's rate of about 51%.
Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Paw Paw Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 52.3%; this one delivers 45.0%.
Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Lee County) reports that median household earnings sit near $70,292, about 19% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Lee County's 19 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,778 students), Paw Paw Elem School is one campus in the mix.
The closest other public school is Paw Paw Junior High School, roughly 0.0 miles away. 6 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Paw Paw Elem School at 3rd of 8; the average score across the group is 42.3%.
The school occupies an outlying site.
Trend over the last 7 years. Paw Paw Elem School's enrollment has ticked down 11% since 2018, when it stood at 98 (now 87). Over the same period, the Hispanic share ticked down from 14% to 9%.
On allk12, members of the Paw Paw Elem School community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Lee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
33,869
Census ACS
Median income
$70,292
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
3,778 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Nearby schools
- Paw Paw Junior High School0.0 mi · 42
- Indian Creek High School7.2 mi · 268
- Indian Creek Elementary School7.4 mi · 269
- The Earlville Early Learning Ctr7.8 mi · 55
- Earlville Elem School7.8 mi · 253
- Earlville Jr/Sr High School7.8 mi · 97
Frequently asked questions
About Paw Paw Elem SchoolHow large is Paw Paw Elem School?
Paw Paw Elem School enrolls approximately 87 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Paw Paw Elem School serve?
Paw Paw Elem School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paw Paw Elem School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Paw Paw Elem School is approximately 9.2:1 (10 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Paw Paw Elem School?
At Paw Paw Elem School, the student body is approximately 84% White, 9% Hispanic, 3% Black, 3% Two or more.
Is Paw Paw Elem School public or private?
Paw Paw Elem School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Paw Paw CUSD 271.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.