Enrollment
288
Elementary
DISTRICT 312 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PORTA CUSD 202·NCES 173141004796
Porta Central
1500 Owen Ave, Petersburg, IL 62675 · (217) 632-7781 · Menard County
GRADES 03–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL288 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.3:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.5:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
41%
118 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
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
Porta Central→Porta High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Porta CUSD 202. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
62.0%
IL avg 51.0% . +15.7pp since 2023
Math
32.6%
IL avg 37.9% . +17.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 62 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 16 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 17 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
44.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.9%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% 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
288
-26 (-8%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
12.3:1
was 14.3:1
% White
92%
was 93%
% Hispanic
2%
was 0%
% Black
0%
was 2%
% Asian
0%
was 2%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Porta Central
Set in Petersburg, Illinois, Porta Central is a compact elementary-level community, part of Porta CUSD 202. It instructs 288 students across grades 3 through 6. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Porta Central sits 24% below that benchmark.
Porta Central is one of 3 schools operated by Porta CUSD 202, a district that hosts 1,034 students overall.
On demographics, Porta Central reports that nearly all students (92%) are White; the rest breaks down as 6% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Menard County as a whole.
In terms of school funding signals, Porta Central records 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Porta Central tighter than the state norm the norm. About 41% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.
With demographic context factored in, Porta Central performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 47.9%, the actual is 44.7%, a residual of -3.2 points.
In the broader community, the surrounding county (Menard County) records that median household earnings sit near $82,176, 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Porta Central is one of 7 public schools in Menard County (combined enrollment of about 1,701 students).
Nearest neighbor: Porta High School, around 0.2 miles off. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Porta Central at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 44.3%.
The school occupies a rural site.
Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Porta Central has edged down 8%, going from 314 students in 2018 to 288 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 14.3:1 in 2018 to 12.3:1 in 2025.
On this page, members of the Porta Central community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.
Menard County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
12,095
Census ACS
Median income
$82,176
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
7
1,701 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Porta CUSD 202
- Porta High SchoolHigh · 411 students
- Petersburg Elem SchoolElementary · 335 students
Other schools in Petersburg
- Porta High SchoolHigh · 411 students
- Petersburg Elem SchoolElementary · 335 students
Nearby schools
- Porta High School0.2 mi · 411
- Petersburg Elem School0.5 mi · 335
- Greenview Jr/Sr High School7.8 mi · 107
- Greenview Elementary School7.8 mi · 117
- Athens Sr High School8.4 mi · 299
- Athens Junior High School8.4 mi · 144
Frequently asked questions
About Porta CentralWhat is the total enrollment at Porta Central?
Porta Central enrolls approximately 288 students in grades 03-06.
Is Porta Central an elementary, middle, or high school?
Porta Central is an elementary school covering grades 03-06.
How many teachers does Porta Central have?
Porta Central employs 24 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.3:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Porta Central?
At Porta Central, the student body is approximately 92% White, 2% Hispanic, 0% Black, 6% Two or more.
Is Porta Central public or private?
Porta Central is a public K-12 school, overseen by Porta CUSD 202.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.