Wirth/Parks Middle School

As a mid-tier middle-grades school in Cahokia, Illinois, Wirth/Parks Middle School serves 571 students from grades 6 through 8, part of Cahokia CUSD 187. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 462 students each, so Wirth/Parks Middle School sits 24% above that benchmark.

Across the 8 schools in Cahokia CUSD 187 (2,991 students total), Wirth/Parks Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Wirth/Parks Middle School reports that 88% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. Other groups include 6% multiracial, 3% Hispanic, 2% White. The wider county runs roughly 28% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 40 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.0:1, putting Wirth/Parks Middle School higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 82% of students at Wirth/Parks Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against St. Clair County (around 54%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Wirth/Parks Middle School falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 24.4%; this one comes in at 8.5%, -15.9 points off the demographic line.

Around the school, the surrounding county (St. Clair County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $73,854 per year, about 32% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, St. Clair County runs 96 public schools (combined enrollment of about 40,879 students), of which Wirth/Parks Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Penniman Elem School, around 1.3 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Wirth/Parks Middle School ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 11.4%.

The school occupies a commuter-belt site.

Over the past 7-year window. Wirth/Parks Middle School's enrollment has climbed 139% since 2018, when it stood at 239 (now 571). Black enrollment moved from 94% to 88% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 18.8:1 in 2018 to 14.3:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.