Sowers Elementary School

Sowers Elementary School is an elementary school of cozy scale in Roanoke, Illinois, one of the schools within Roanoke Benson CUSD 60, teacheing 161 students in grades pre-K through 4. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 58% smaller than typical.

Roanoke Benson CUSD 60 comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 449 students; Sowers Elementary School is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Sowers Elementary School lists that nearly all students (92%) are White. Beyond that, the school lists 4% Black, 2% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the resource side, Sowers Elementary School lists 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.5:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 22% of students at Sowers Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Sowers Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 58.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 71.9%.

Around the school, Woodford County reports that median household earnings sit near $91,483, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Sowers Elementary School is one of 32 public schools in Woodford County (combined enrollment of about 6,338 students).

Roanoke-Benson High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Within ten miles, there are 8 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Sowers Elementary School at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 55.6%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Sowers Elementary School has edged down 21%, going from 203 students in 2018 to 161 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 13.7:1 in 2018 to 11.5:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Sowers Elementary School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.