South Elem School

South Elem School, a moderately sized elementary-level community in Crystal Lake, Illinois, overseen by Crystal Lake CCSD 47, educates 390 students, covering grades K through 5.

Within Crystal Lake CCSD 47, which oversees 12 schools and 6,889 students, South Elem School is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, South Elem School lists that 80% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 15% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with McHenry County as a whole.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, South Elem School has 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.9:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 27% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, McHenry County runs at roughly 35%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, South Elem School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 56.1%, the actual is 58.7%, a residual of +2.6 points.

In the area at large, census data for McHenry County shows the typical household earns roughly $104,802 per year, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. Across McHenry County's 89 public schools (combined enrollment of about 50,123 students), South Elem School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Lundahl Middle School, around 0.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around South Elem School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts South Elem School at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 43.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at South Elem School has changed only slightly, going from 391 students in 2018 to 390 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.