Tri-City Elem School

Tri-City Elem School is one of the low-enrollment primary schools in Buffalo, Illinois, overseen by Tri City CUSD 1, with 273 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Tri-City Elem School sits 28% below that benchmark.

Across the 3 schools in Tri City CUSD 1 (564 students total), Tri-City Elem School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Tri-City Elem School logs that 94% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Other groups include 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 78% White, putting the school's mix noticeably more White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, Tri-City Elem School records 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Tri-City Elem School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 51% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Tri-City Elem School sits in the top 10% of Illinois schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 41.9%; actual is 61.2%, +19.3 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Sangamon County put median household income runs about $75,357, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Sangamon County's 77 public schools (combined enrollment of about 27,345 students), Tri-City Elem School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Tri-City Jr High School, roughly 0.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Tri-City Elem School comes 1st of 9 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 40.3%.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 9%: 301 students in 2018 compared to 273 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.7:1 in 2018 to 11.8:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Tri-City Elem School community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.