Reed-Custer Middle School

Set in Braidwood, Illinois, Reed-Custer Middle School is a close-knit middle school, run under Reed Custer CUSD 255U. It educates 306 students across grades 6 through 8. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 462 students each, so Reed-Custer Middle School sits 34% smaller than that benchmark.

Reed Custer CUSD 255U comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 1,393 students; Reed-Custer Middle School is among them.

Demographically, Reed-Custer Middle School shows that 82% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest breaks down as 14% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Will County as a whole is about 62% White, so the school skews visibly more White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 10.9:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.0:1, putting Reed-Custer Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 43% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Reed-Custer Middle School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 46.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 55.0%.

In the broader community, Will County reports that the typical household earns roughly $109,984 per year, about 38% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Reed-Custer Middle School is one of 209 public schools in Will County (combined enrollment of about 113,008 students).

Reed-Custer High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Reed-Custer Middle School. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Reed-Custer Middle School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 46.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Over the past 7-year window. Reed-Custer Middle School's enrollment has ticked down 12% since 2018, when it stood at 349 (now 306). Hispanic enrollment moved from 6% to 14% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 12.1:1 in 2018 to 10.9:1 today.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.