Willow Grove Elem School

Willow Grove Elem School is a K-5 school of very small scale in Centralia, Illinois, operated by Willow Grove SD 46, serveing 127 students in grades pre-K through 8. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Willow Grove Elem School sits 67% below that benchmark.

Operationally, Willow Grove Elem School answers to Willow Grove SD 46, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.

On demographics, Willow Grove Elem School records that the largest single group is White, at 76% of enrollment. Other groups include 12% multiracial, 9% Hispanic, 2% Black. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 91%.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 9.8:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. Around 76% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably above Clinton County's rate of about 36%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Willow Grove Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 27.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 40.4%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Clinton County) logs that median household earnings sit near $86,588, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Clinton County's 19 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,278 students), Willow Grove Elem School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Schiller Elem School, around 0.3 miles off. 7 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Willow Grove Elem School at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 33.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Willow Grove Elem School has fell 19%, going from 156 students in 2018 to 127 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 90% to 76%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 11.1:1 in 2018 to 9.8:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Willow Grove Elem School typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.