Summary:
The city of Decatur, Illinois is home to 12 elementary schools that serve students from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade, all part of the Decatur School District 61. While the district is ranked 806 out of 811 school districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, a few schools stand out in their academic performance.
Montessori Academy for Peace has the highest overall proficiency rates in both English Language Arts (35.8%) and Mathematics (14.6%), significantly outperforming the district and state averages. Robertson Charter School, the only public charter school in the area, also excels with the second-highest overall proficiency in English Language Arts (31%) and the highest proficiency rates in individual grade levels for both subjects. Additionally, Michael E Baum Elementary School has the third-highest overall proficiency in English Language Arts (23.6%) and the second-highest in Mathematics (13.7%).
However, the district as a whole faces significant challenges, with all schools reporting a chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4%, which is much higher than the state average. The schools also have a wide range of free and reduced lunch recipients, from 42.57% at Montessori Academy for Peace to 80.52% at Hope Academy, suggesting a potential correlation between socioeconomic status and academic performance. Additionally, the district's spending per student varies from $16,928 to $20,116, with the highest spending at Pershing Early Learning Center, indicating potential funding disparities that may impact the resources and support available to students and teachers.
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