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Cairo Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

2005^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Cairo Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Cairo, Illinois, with a total enrollment of 174 students. The school is part of the Cairo Unified School District 1, which is ranked 811 out of 811 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cairo Elementary School consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Illinois, with proficiency rates well below the state averages in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 12.9% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 53.1%, and only 5.7% were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 38.5%. The school also has extremely high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 25.4% to 53.2% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has an extremely high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 98.85% to 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Century Elementary School, Egyptian Elementary School, and Meridian Elementary School, while also serving economically disadvantaged populations, perform significantly better than Cairo Elementary School on academic measures. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Century Elementary School had 42.9% of students proficient or better in ELA, compared to Cairo's 12.9%. Despite the high per-student spending at Cairo Elementary School, the school has shown little to no improvement in its academic performance over the past several years, suggesting that the school may be facing systemic challenges that require a more comprehensive approach to address.

148

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,535

Per pupil spending ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3101 Elm St
Cairo, IL 62914-1362

(618) 734-1027

District: Cairo Unified School District 1

Students who attend Cairo Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Cairo Junior/Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

73.6%

White:

13.5%

Two or more races:

11.5%

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Compare Cairo Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (11% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 25% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg9%

Illinois avg44%

2,005^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

811^th of 811Cairo Unified School District 1 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	7.8	2005 of 2056	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	2017 of 2067	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	2059 of 2077	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	1863 of 2082	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.7	1945 of 1948	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.5	2047 of 2086	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.7	1924 of 2037	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.9	1875 of 2044	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.9	1891 of 2046	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.0	1949 of 2052	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	15.6	1839 of 2093	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	10.6	2010 of 2167	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.9	1961 of 2166	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	11.8	1967 of 2147	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.6	663 of 688	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	608 of 655	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	670 of 692	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	477 of 684	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.4	589 of 711	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	499 of 698	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2023	22.5	789 of 907	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	10.7	1894 of 1942	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	1914 of 1957	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	1785 of 1970	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	1928 of 2019	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.9	1964 of 1964	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	1733 of 1800	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	1729 of 1793	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	1789 of 1808	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.7	1486 of 1763	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.0	1504 of 1514	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	1765 of 1816	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	1604 of 1765	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	10.3	1836 of 1947	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.6	1743 of 1959	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	1972 of 1984	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.3	1982 of 2019	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	1910 of 1972	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2023)13th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)6th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

African American (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2024)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

Science14%-26 vs state

English Language Arts13%-40 vs state

Mathematics6%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cairo Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)	IAR English Language Arts (2025)					IAR Mathematics (2025)					% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Pneumococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Pneumococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cairo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3101 Elm St	Cairo	62914	Alexander County	Cairo Unified School District 1	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 734-1027	148	15	10.2	99.3%	20 (13.5%)	109 (73.6%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (11.5%)	7.8	2005^th of 2056 public elementary schools	2.5%		10.8	2017^th of 2067 public elementary schools	2.4%	12	14.3	7.1	6.7	14.3	20.0	12.9	21.4	0.0	4.8	0.0	5.7									$28,535	$4,957	$23,578
Meridian Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1401 Mounds Rd	Mounds	62964	Pulaski County	Meridian CUSD 101	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 342-6778	213	20	10.6	95.3%	70 (32.9%)	108 (50.7%)	6 (2.8%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (13.1%)	22.3	1610^th of 2056 public elementary schools	21.7%		14.1	1885^th of 2067 public elementary schools	8.8%	275	27.3	8.7	6.3	45.5		18.2	43.5	9.4	18.2		22.1	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	93.8	15.5	$25,816	$3,584	$22,232
Egyptian Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	20023 Diswood Rd	Tamms	62988	Alexander County	Egyptian CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 776-5251	151	12	12.5	99.3%	113 (74.8%)	19 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (12.6%)	10.5	1925^th of 2056 public elementary schools	6.4%		13.2	1936^th of 2067 public elementary schools	6.3%	11	9.4	4.5	31.8	25.0		21.1	4.5	13.6	6.3		7.9	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5	11.9	$15,800	$1,890	$13,910
Century Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4721 Shawnee College Rd	Ullin	62992	Pulaski County	Century CUSD 100	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 845-3572	185	16	11.7	62.2%	150 (81.1%)	23 (12.4%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.4%)	28.2	1480^th of 2056 public elementary schools	28.0%		20.5	1668^th of 2067 public elementary schools	19.3%	188	23.3	47.1	47.8	36.7		42.9	29.4	0.0	13.3		12.9	87.0	85.3	85.3	85.3	28.3	85.9	86.4	15.8	$14,683	$1,733	$12,951

Frequently Asked Questions about Cairo Elementary School

What district is Cairo Elementary School in?

Cairo Unified School District 1

What is the racial makeup of Cairo Elementary School?

Students at Cairo Elementary School are 74% African American, 14% White, 11% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

Is Cairo Elementary School a good school?

Cairo Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2.5% of Illinois elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Cairo Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cairo Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Cairo Junior/Senior High School

How many students attend Cairo Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 148 students attended Cairo Elementary School.

Rate Cairo Elementary School!

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ILIllinois District Rankings

Schools in Cairo, IL

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 30, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2025

2024–25 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataOct 30, 2024

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.