Enrollment
193
Elementary
DISTRICT 354 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MCLEAN COUNTY USD 5·NCES 172862005556
Towanda Elementary School
304 S East St, Towanda, IL 61776 · (309) 728-2278 · McLean County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL193 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 88% of Illinois public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
13 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.9:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
12%
23 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 56%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 1 | 1% |
| Kindergarten | 25 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 40 | 21% |
| Grade 2 | 31 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 35 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 25 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 36 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (25) is 31% smaller than its 5th grade class (36).
Student demographics
39%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
84.6%
IL avg 51.0% . +35.1pp since 2023
Math
70.3%
IL avg 37.9% . +15.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 85 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 70 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 35 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 15 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 84.6% | 70.3% |
| 2023-24 | 49.5% | 54.9% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
74.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
64.6%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 74% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 65% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Towanda Elementary School
Towanda Elementary School's state test result (74.5% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towanda Elementary School this school | 193 | 11.9% | 74.5% |
| Naper Elementary School Naperville | 235 | 17.0% | 76.3% |
| Ellsworth Elementary School Naperville | 227 | 18.9% | 85.7% |
| Dunlap Grade School Dunlap | 253 | 18.2% | 63.4% |
| Hough Street Elementary School Barrington | 244 | 15.6% | 79.0% |
| Stock Early Childhood Center Chicago | 194 | 18.0% | N/A |
Matched among Illinois elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Towanda Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In McLean County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 74.5% | #73 of 1,925 | #2 of 29 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 70.3% | #217 of 2,077 ▲ 10 | #2 of 29 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 84.6% | #67 of 2,077 ▲ 432 | #2 of 29 ▲ 5 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 193 | #2,065 of 2,419 | #31 of 32 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 11.9% | #2,073 of 2,132 | #28 of 31 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
193
+15 (+8%) vs 2020
+18% since 2000-01, when it was 163
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 193 | 13.3 | 14.5:1 | 12% (23) |
| 2023-24 | 198 | 15.8 | 12.5:1 | 14% (28) |
| 2022-23 | 189 | 12.4 | 15.2:1 | 13% (24) |
| 2020-21 | 178 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 189 | 11.3 | 16.8:1 | 13% (24) |
| 2015-16 | 185 | 10 | 18.5:1 | 14% (26) |
| 2010-11 | 139 | 7 | 19.9:1 | 10% (14) |
| 2000-01 | 163 | 8 | 20.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Towanda Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (189 to 193); teachers up 19% (11.3 to 13.3).
About Towanda Elementary School
Towanda Elementary School is a small elementary school for students in Towanda, Illinois. The school serves kindergarten through 5. Enrollment is 193 students. By comparison, elementary schools in Illinois enroll about 381 students on average.
Towanda Elementary School is part of a district of 24 schools: McLean County USD 5, with 12,407 students.
More than half of the students at Towanda Elementary School are White (77%). The next largest groups are 12% Asian, 5% multiracial, and 4% Hispanic. That is in line with McLean County, where about 78% of residents are White. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 39%.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 14.5:1. The school has 13.3 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is in line with the 13.9:1 average for elementary schools in Illinois. In all, 12% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The 40% average for public schools in McLean County is 28 points higher.
On the allk12 Grade, Towanda Elementary School lands at A, ahead of 88% of Illinois public elementary schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Towanda Elementary School is 64.6%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 74.5%.
In McLean County, home to about 171,556 people, median household income comes to about $79,905, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 47%, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. There are 60 public schools in the county, enrolling about 23,759, Towanda Elementary School among them.
Towanda Elementary School's closest public school neighbor is Normal Community High School, about 2.2 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, 5 other public schools are within five miles. Its average proficiency rate of 74.5% is above the 47.8% average for nearby schools.
Towanda Elementary School has an NCES locale of Suburb: Mid-size.
Enrollment figures show a increase of 15 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
You can use this page to share news and ask questions about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. You can also rate the school on this page.
McLean County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
171,556
Census ACS
Median income
$79,905
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
47%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
60
23,759 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in McLean County USD 5
- Normal Community High SchoolHigh · 2,079 students
- Normal Community West High SchoolHigh · 1,590 students
- Evans Junior High SchoolMiddle · 778 students
- Kingsley Jr High SchoolMiddle · 730 students
- Benjamin Elementary SchoolElementary · 607 students
- Parkside Jr High SchoolMiddle · 598 students
Nearby schools
- Normal Community High School2.2 mi · 2,079
- Grove Elementary School3.0 mi · 519
- Northpoint Elementary School4.1 mi · 472
- Prairieland Elementary School4.3 mi · 450
- Sugar Creek Elementary School4.8 mi · 468
- Stevenson Elementary School5.4 mi · 299
Frequently asked questions
About Towanda Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Towanda Elementary School?
Towanda Elementary School enrolls approximately 193 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Towanda Elementary School serve?
Towanda Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Towanda Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Towanda Elementary School is approximately 14.5:1 (13 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Towanda Elementary School?
Student demographics at Towanda Elementary School are roughly 77% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% Black, 12% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Towanda Elementary School in?
Towanda Elementary School is part of McLean County USD 5.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.