Silas Willard Elem School

Located at 460 Fifer St, in Galesburg, Illinois, Silas Willard Elem School is a mid-sized K-5 school that teaches 425 students (grades K through 4), one of the schools within Galesburg CUSD 205.

Silas Willard Elem School is one of 7 schools operated by Galesburg CUSD 205, a district that serves 3,863 students overall.

On demographics, Silas Willard Elem School shows that the largest single group is White, at 57% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school records 16% Hispanic, 14% multiracial, 13% Black. The wider county runs roughly 82% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, The school lists 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.1:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 72% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Silas Willard Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 29.7%; this one delivers 36.7%.

In the broader community, census data for Knox County shows the typical household earns roughly $57,030 per year, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Silas Willard Elem School is one of 26 public schools in Knox County (combined enrollment of about 6,359 students).

Bright Futures Pre-K Prog is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 6 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Silas Willard Elem School at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 30.3%.

Silas Willard Elem School operates from a small-town location.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 9%: 469 students in 2018 compared to 425 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 64% to 57% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 15.8:1 in 2018 to 11.1:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.