Talala Elementary School

Set in Park Forest, Illinois, Talala Elementary School is a low-enrollment K-5 school, part of Crete Monee CUSD 201U. It caters to 305 students across grades K through 5.

Talala Elementary School is one of 8 schools operated by Crete Monee CUSD 201U, a district that caters to 4,562 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Talala Elementary School reports that the largest single group is Black, at 59% of enrollment; the rest reads as 33% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 12% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

On the resource side, On paper, Talala Elementary School has 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Talala Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. Around 85% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is above Will County's rate of about 44%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Talala Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 22.3%; this one delivers 13.4%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Will County put median household income runs about $109,984, roughly 38% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Across Will County's 209 public schools (combined enrollment of about 113,008 students), Talala Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Blackhawk Primary Center, around 0.6 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Talala Elementary School. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Talala Elementary School ranks 8th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 30.8%.

The school occupies a commuter-belt site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count held roughly steady: 303 students in 2018 compared to 305 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share grew from 8% to 33%. Class-load math has widened: from 14.4:1 in 2018 to 15.8:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.