Sandburg Elem School

Located at 2051 Wabash Ave, in Springfield, Illinois, Sandburg Elem School is a tight-knit elementary campus that instructs 279 students (grades K through 5), operated by Springfield SD 186. Enrollment runs roughly 27% smaller than the state mean of about 381.

Across the 31 schools in Springfield SD 186 (13,014 students total), Sandburg Elem School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Sandburg Elem School logs that the largest single group is White at 42%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school shows 39% Black, 10% multiracial, 4% Asian, 3% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 78% White, putting the school's mix considerably less White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, The school lists 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 16.4:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. Around 49% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Sandburg Elem School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 43.0%, the actual is 42.5%, a residual of -0.4 points.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Sangamon County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $75,357 per year, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Across Sangamon County's 77 public schools (combined enrollment of about 27,345 students), Sandburg Elem School is one campus in the mix.

Benjamin Franklin Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.2 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Sandburg Elem School at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 31.8%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Sandburg Elem School has changed only slightly, going from 275 students in 2018 to 279 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share grew from 35% to 39%.

On this page, the feed for Sandburg Elem School typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.