Towanda Elem School

Towanda Elem School operates as an intimate elementary campus in Towanda, Illinois, one of the schools within McLean County USD 5. Current enrollment sits at 193 students spanning grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 49% below the state mean of about 381.

McLean County USD 5 runs 24 schools in total, collectively educating 12,407 students. Towanda Elem School is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Towanda Elem School lists that White students make up the majority at 77%; the rest is composed of 12% Asian, 5% multiracial, 4% Hispanic. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the resource side, On paper, Towanda Elem School has 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.5:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 12% of students at Towanda Elem School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against McLean County (around 40%), the school's rate is noticeably below typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Towanda Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 64.6%; this one delivers 74.5%.

Across the wider county, McLean County reports that median household income runs about $79,905, 47% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, McLean County runs 60 public schools (combined enrollment of about 23,759 students), of which Towanda Elem School is one.

Normal Community High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 2.2 miles from this campus. 5 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Towanda Elem School ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 47.8%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Towanda Elem School has changed only slightly, going from 189 students in 2018 to 193 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 86% to 77% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 16.8:1 in 2018 to 14.5:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.