Spring Garden Elementary School

Spring Garden Elementary School operates as a minimally staffed elementary school in Mount Vernon, Illinois, run under Spring Garden CCSD 178. Current enrollment sits at 124 students spanning grades K through 4. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 67% below typical.

Within Spring Garden CCSD 178, which oversees 2 schools and 217 students, Spring Garden Elementary School is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Spring Garden Elementary School lists that nearly all students (96%) are White. The wider county runs roughly 84% White, putting the school's mix noticeably more White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.7:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 65% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Spring Garden Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 33.8%; this one delivers 34.2%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Jefferson County put median household earnings sit near $63,118, roughly 18% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Jefferson County runs 31 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,314 students), of which Spring Garden Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Bethel Grade School, roughly 2.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 7 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Spring Garden Elementary School comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 32.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Spring Garden Elementary School has ticked down 8%, going from 135 students in 2018 to 124 in 2025. The White share of enrollment edged up from 90% to 96% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 15.0:1 in 2018 to 11.7:1 in 2025.

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