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What's one thing Silas Willard Elem School gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
425
Elementary
DISTRICT 413 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GALESBURG CUSD 205·NCES 171608001928
Silas Willard Elementary School
460 Fifer St, Galesburg, IL 61401 · (309) 973-2015 · Knox County
GRADES KG–04ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL425 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 53% of Illinois public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.1:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.1:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
72%
308 students
DISTRICT 77% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 84 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 72 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 91 | 21% |
| Grade 3 | 98 | 23% |
| Grade 4 | 80 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (84) is 5% larger than its 4th grade class (80).
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). 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
Silas Willard Elementary School→Lombard Middle School→Galesburg Jr High School→Galesburg Senior High School
Based on grade levels within Galesburg CUSD 205. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
38.8%
IL avg 51.0% . +5.7pp since 2023
Math
38.2%
IL avg 37.9% . +8.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 38 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 6 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 9 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 38.8% | 38.2% |
| 2023-24 | 33.1% | 29.3% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
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
36.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
29.7%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 30% 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 →
Schools most like Silas Willard Elementary School
Silas Willard Elementary School's state test result (36.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silas Willard Elementary School this school | 425 | 72.5% | 36.7% |
| Mitchell Elementary School Granite City | 413 | 70.5% | 21.5% |
| Maryville Elementary School Granite City | 395 | 74.7% | N/A |
| Frohardt Elementary School Granite City | 452 | 73.9% | 20.3% |
| Kimes Elementary School Streator | 415 | 70.6% | N/A |
| Webster Elementary School Collinsville | 357 | 74.5% | 44.0% |
Matched among Illinois elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Silas Willard Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Knox County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 36.7% | #1,031 of 1,925 | #5 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.2% | #1,017 of 2,077 ▼ 184 | #5 of 7 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.8% | #1,390 of 2,077 ▼ 344 | #5 of 7 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 425 | #872 of 2,419 | #3 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.1:1 | #305 of 2,035 | #2 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.6% | #518 of 2,042 | #3 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 72.5% | #680 of 2,132 | #4 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.4% | #947 of 1,461 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
425
+42 (+11%) vs 2020
+9% since 1990-91, when it was 391
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 425 | 38.3 | 11.1:1 | 72% (308) |
| 2023-24 | 427 | 36 | 11.9:1 | 74% (315) |
| 2022-23 | 420 | 33.8 | 12.4:1 | 72% (301) |
| 2020-21 | 383 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 469 | 29.6 | 15.8:1 | 57% (267) |
| 2015-16 | 436 | 27 | 16.1:1 | 58% (252) |
| 2010-11 | 449 | 20 | 22.4:1 | 61% (273) |
| 2000-01 | 313 | 18 | 17.4:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 391 | 16 | 24.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Silas Willard Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (469 to 425); teachers up 29% (29.6 to 38.3).
About Silas Willard Elementary School
Silas Willard Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school that serves part of Galesburg, Illinois. It serves 425 students in kindergarten through 4.
Silas Willard Elementary School is in Galesburg CUSD 205, a district with 3,863 students across 7 schools.
At Silas Willard Elementary School, White students make up 57% of the student body. The next largest groups are 16% Hispanic, 14% multiracial, and 13% Black. The school's White share is 25 points below the 82% share among Knox County residents. Pick two students at random and there is a 62% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Teachers at the school number 38.3 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 11.1:1. On average, elementary schools in Illinois have 13.9:1, compared with 11.1:1 here. The school's lunch program data list 72% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Measured against Illinois public elementary schools, Silas Willard Elementary School receives a B-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
After adjusting for student poverty, Silas Willard Elementary School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Illinois schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 36.7%; the prediction is 29.7%.
Knox County has these Census figures: the median household income is $57,030, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 21%, and about 8% of people live in poverty. In all, Knox County has 26 public schools and roughly 6,359 students.
Bright Futures Pre-K Prog is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.2 miles away. The five-mile area around Silas Willard Elementary School holds 6 other public schools. Silas Willard Elementary School ranks 2nd of 8 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 36.7% against a local average of 30.3%.
The school's locale code, Town: Distant, means it is in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Silas Willard Elementary School's enrollment climbed from 383 in 2020-21 to 425 in 2024-25.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Knox County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
49,046
Census ACS
Median income
$57,030
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
26
6,359 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Galesburg CUSD 205
- Galesburg Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,158 students
- Steele SchoolElementary · 542 students
- Lombard Middle SchoolMiddle · 534 students
- Galesburg Jr High SchoolMiddle · 518 students
- King SchoolElementary · 510 students
- Bright Futures Pre-K ProgElementary · 176 students
Other schools in Galesburg
- Galesburg Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,158 students
- Steele SchoolElementary · 542 students
- Lombard Middle SchoolMiddle · 534 students
- Galesburg Jr High SchoolMiddle · 518 students
- King SchoolElementary · 510 students
- Bright Futures Pre-K ProgElementary · 176 students
Nearby schools
- Bright Futures Pre-K Prog1.2 mi · 176
- Galesburg Senior High School1.3 mi · 1,158
- Galesburg Jr High School1.3 mi · 518
- Lombard Middle School1.7 mi · 534
- Steele School2.0 mi · 542
- King School2.1 mi · 510
Frequently asked questions
About Silas Willard Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Silas Willard Elementary School?
Silas Willard Elementary School enrolls approximately 425 students in grades KG-04.
Is Silas Willard Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Silas Willard Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-04.
How many teachers does Silas Willard Elementary School have?
Silas Willard Elementary School employs 38 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.1:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Silas Willard Elementary School?
At Silas Willard Elementary School, the student body is approximately 57% White, 16% Hispanic, 13% Black, 14% Two or more.
Is Silas Willard Elementary School public or private?
Silas Willard Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Galesburg CUSD 205.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.