Pershing Elem School

As a substantial elementary campus in Joliet, Illinois, Pershing Elem School instructs 621 students from grades K through 5, part of Joliet PSD 86. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 63% larger than typical.

Joliet PSD 86 runs 20 schools in total, collectively educating 9,333 students. Pershing Elem School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Pershing Elem School records that 70% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. The remainder breaks down as 17% Black, 10% White, 3% multiracial. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 20%.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Pershing Elem School has 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 19.0:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 96% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Will County (around 44%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Pershing Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 16.0%; this one delivers 18.3%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Will County) logs that median household earnings sit near $109,984, 38% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Pershing Elem School is one of 209 public schools in Will County (combined enrollment of about 113,008 students).

The closest other public school is Joliet West High School, roughly 0.5 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Pershing Elem School. On composite proficiency, Pershing Elem School comes 7th of 8 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 23.5%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Pershing Elem School has ticked up 6%, going from 588 students in 2018 to 621 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment grew from 52% to 70% over that span.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.