Original Research by School Decision on Sarah a Raymond Sch of Early Educ
Sarah A Raymond School of Early Education serves the youngest learners in Bloomington School District 87, enrolling children in pre-K. The school has a small enrollment and sits in a mid-sized central Illinois city anchored by State Farm Insurance, which employs a substantial share of the region's workforce. Bloomington itself has a mixed-use character of residential neighborhoods, a historic downtown core, and dispersed corporate and commercial campuses.
The student body reflects Bloomington's demographic diversity. The school enrolls children from multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds, with no single group forming a majority. White and Black children each represent roughly a quarter of enrollment, while Hispanic and multiracial children make up meaningful shares as well. A smaller number of Asian-heritage students attend. Data on students' economic circumstances and English learner status were not available.
The school is part of a district undergoing deliberate expansion of early childhood capacity. Sarah A Raymond had operated at capacity with a substantial waiting list before the district purchased a former State Farm building to expand pre-K programming. The Sarah A Raymond relocation is scheduled to move into that new facility in August 2026, which will allow the school to serve more families seeking pre-K. This expansion reflects growing demand for early education in the district and addresses a real bottleneck that had kept some children waiting for spots.
The district itself is navigating a housing and enrollment moment shaped by regional economic growth. Bloomington-Normal faces sharp demand for new housing driven by expansions at Rivian Automotive and other employers in nearby Normal, but housing construction is lagging significantly behind need. New single-family building was modest in both 2024 and 2025, and the city is now turning toward renovation of older housing stock to address the shortfall. For families considering whether to move into the area or stay, housing availability and cost matter as much as school enrollment.
The district recently won voter approval for a school facility sales tax in April 2025, the first time such a measure passed in McLean County. The revenue supports facility improvements, school resource officers, and mental health professionals. This provided some property tax relief and represents a sustained funding commitment relevant to families weighing the long-term stability and investment in the district's schools.
Because Sarah A Raymond serves only pre-K, state assessment data and academic proficiency measures do not apply. The school operates as a regular public school within District 87. For families seeking early childhood education in Bloomington, the school's expansion capacity and demographic diversity are the primary factors shaping access and fit.
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