Washington Elem School

Located at 420 E Main St, in Marion, Illinois, Washington Elem School is a medium-sized elementary campus that instructs 465 students (grades K through 5), one of the schools within Marion CUSD 2. Enrollment runs roughly 22% larger than the state mean of about 381.

Marion CUSD 2 runs 7 schools in total, collectively educating 3,684 students. Washington Elem School is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Washington Elem School shows that White students make up the majority at 75%; the rest breaks down as 14% Black, 8% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. By comparison, Williamson County as a whole is about 89% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 35 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.3:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 13.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 58% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Washington Elem School ranks in the top 10% of Illinois public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 38.1%; Washington Elem School posts 65.1%, +27.0 points above that line.

In the surrounding community, census data for Williamson County shows median household earnings sit near $65,604, about 26% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Williamson County runs 26 public schools (combined enrollment of about 9,700 students), of which Washington Elem School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Jefferson Elem School, around 0.5 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around Washington Elem School. On composite proficiency, Washington Elem School comes 1st of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 44.0%.

The campus sits in a town-based setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Washington Elem School's enrollment has edged down 17% since 2018, when it stood at 562 (now 465). Over the same period, the Black share grew from 6% to 14%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 16.2:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 today.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.