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Dennis Lab School

Public Grades K-8

2008^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Dennis Lab School is a K-8 elementary school located in Decatur, Illinois, which is part of the Decatur School District 61. Despite its higher per-student spending and lower student-teacher ratios, Dennis Lab School has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages in academic proficiency, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

In the 2024-2025 school year, only 10.6% of students at Dennis Lab School were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 16.6% for the district and 53.1% for the state. The school's performance in Mathematics was even lower, with only 5.3% of students proficient or better, compared to 7.2% for the district and 38.5% for the state. Additionally, Dennis Lab School has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 45.3% to 48.6% in recent years, significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school also serves a high-poverty student population, with 72.66% to 79.13% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years.

Interestingly, while the nearby American Dreamer STEM Academy, Muffley Elementary School, and Hope Academy also perform poorly and face similar challenges, some other Montessori Academy for Peace and Johns Hill Magnet School within the same district perform significantly better, suggesting that the district-wide challenges may not be insurmountable.

579

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,353

Per pupil spending ?

84.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 Meadow Terrace Pl
Decatur, IL 62521-5252

(217) 362-3511

District: Decatur School District 61

Students who attend Dennis Lab School usually attend:

High:	Eisenhower High School
	MacArthur High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

49.9%

White:

28.3%

Two or more races:

14.0%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Dennis Lab School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 20th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (13% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (49% vs 25% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

District avg15%

Illinois avg44%

Elementary school

2,008^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,333^rd of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 49 pts since 2015

From top 48% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Decatur School District 61

806^th of 811Decatur School District 61 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	7.7	2008 of 2056	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.8	1980 of 2067	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	2019 of 2077	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	1976 of 2082	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	1816 of 1948	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	1606 of 2086	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	1571 of 2037	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.2	1544 of 2044	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.3	1339 of 2046	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	22.5	1642 of 2052	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.0	1424 of 2093	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	28.3	1622 of 2167	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	12.4	1994 of 2166	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	27.0	1719 of 2147	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.5	1889 of 2139	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.2	1764 of 2120	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.3	1639 of 2092	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	20.3	1803 of 2095	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	13.4	1874 of 2086	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	28.0	1625 of 2022	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	32.9	1534 of 2030	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	20.4	1665 of 2020	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	682 of 688	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	633 of 655	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.7	672 of 692	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	671 of 684	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.3	385 of 428	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	680 of 711	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	616 of 698	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	963 of 1049	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	894 of 907	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	8.3	1888 of 1942	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	1923 of 1942	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	1923 of 1957	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	1900 of 1970	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.4	1631 of 1680	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.1	1634 of 2019	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	1559 of 1964	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	8.2	1780 of 1800	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	1772 of 1793	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	1768 of 1808	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.8	1724 of 1763	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	1488 of 1514	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.6	1630 of 1816	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.9	1632 of 1765	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	8.1	1897 of 1947	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	1769 of 1959	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	1889 of 1984	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.8	1814 of 1977	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	1572 of 1707	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	1439 of 2019	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	1467 of 1972	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	19.6	1106 of 1292	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	1159 of 1195	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	1094 of 1156	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	976 of 1113	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.3	590 of 640	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.3	1030 of 1194	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	9.1	1330 of 1389	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	1351 of 1392	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.5	1405 of 1419	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.9	1395 of 1425	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.9	1293 of 1308	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.1	1267 of 1462	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	1352 of 1463	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	1333 of 1368	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	1265 of 1363	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	1323 of 1367	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	1195 of 1369	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	1055 of 1241	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	1007 of 1356	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	907 of 1293	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	39.6	750 of 1293	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.7	635 of 1294	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.2	626 of 1302	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.7	612 of 1322	53.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	570 of 574	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	512 of 548	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	563 of 569	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	558 of 573	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.0	346 of 385	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.2	361 of 565	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.1	362 of 511	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	23.2	601 of 694	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.6	394 of 639	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	7.0	1229 of 1248	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	1205 of 1251	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	1241 of 1275	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	1150 of 1286	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.4	918 of 1017	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	1054 of 1276	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	937 of 1226	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	1197 of 1229	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	1194 of 1219	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	1204 of 1234	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	1167 of 1221	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	932 of 1019	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	876 of 1217	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.5	861 of 1161	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	1204 of 1271	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	1068 of 1264	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	1203 of 1292	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	1056 of 1286	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	893 of 1048	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.8	809 of 1296	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	746 of 1223	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	748 of 812	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	726 of 802	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	777 of 805	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	654 of 781	16.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	860 of 884	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	834 of 875	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	862 of 895	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	849 of 898	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.8	781 of 813	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	834 of 905	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	743 of 889	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Special Education (2025)14th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2025)8th percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

African American (2025)1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Disabled (2025)13th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2025)8th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)5th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

African American (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

Science18%-25 vs state

English Language Arts11%-42 vs state

Mathematics5%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dennis Lab School

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)	% Meningococcal (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	ISA Science 8th 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 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th 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 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th 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	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dennis Lab School	Public	K-8	300 Meadow Terrace Pl	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3511	579	35	16.5	84.6%	164 (28.3%)	289 (49.9%)	43 (7.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (14.0%)	7.7	2008^th of 2056 public elementary schools	2.3%		11.8	1980^th of 2067 public elementary schools	4.2%	28	17.9	17.4	16.0	7.4	14.5	6.1	17.2	4.3	10.6	7.8	1.9	5.4	4.6	9.4	2.9	5.3	91.9	94.2	94.2	94.2	98.9	94.0	94.0		27.6	$16,353	$1,930	$14,423
South Shores Elementary School	Public	K-6	2500 S Franklin Street Rd	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3321	335	18	18.4	87.2%	88 (26.3%)	171 (51.0%)	12 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (18.2%)	6.2	2034^th of 2056 public elementary schools	1.1%		9.7	2044^th of 2067 public elementary schools	1.1%	10	7.1		12.5	13.2	2.4	17.0			11.4	8.3	5.3	2.4	0.0			4.0	95.6	95.9	95.9	95.9	97.8	95.9	95.9		10.4	$17,564	$2,789	$14,774
American Dreamer STEM Academy	Public	K-8	2115 S Taylor Rd	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3380	423	28	15.1	89.1%	70 (16.5%)	282 (66.7%)	12 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (13.7%)	8.6	1982^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	3.6%		11	2014^th of 2067 public elementary schools	2.6%	32	14.9	21.6	4.3	22.7	14.9	16.7	14.6	28.9	16.5	12.8	6.8	4.3	4.2	0.0	5.3	5.5	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4		30.6	$20,443	$5,488	$14,955
Johns Hill Magnet School	Public	K-8	1025 E Johns Ave	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3350	627	41	15.2	79.7%	97 (15.5%)	248 (39.6%)	190 (30.3%)	22 (3.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (10.8%)	13.3	1838^th of 2056 public elementary schools	10.6%		15.6	1825^th of 2067 public elementary schools	11.7%	13	18.8	22.4	20.3	19.0	17.2	23.5	24.2	17.9	20.4	15.6	17.5	7.8	13.2	19.4	3.0	12.6	95.5	95.3	95.3	95.3	96.7	95.5	95.6		31.4	$18,151	$2,446	$15,705
Muffley Elementary School	Public	K-6	88 S Country Club Rd	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3341	386	22	17.5	84.5%	130 (33.7%)	188 (48.7%)	17 (4.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (12.7%)	8.9	1974^th of 2056 public elementary schools	4.0%		11.9	1978^th of 2067 public elementary schools	4.3%	4	15.5		15.3	14.0	10.3	23.5			15.6	13.6	6.0	1.7	6.0			6.9	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	100.0	99.2	98.7		8.1	$17,847	$2,601	$15,246
Hope Academy	Public	K-8	955 N Illinois St	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3280	501	36	13.9	93.8%	98 (19.6%)	320 (63.9%)	17 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (13.2%)	4.3	2056^th of 2056 public elementary schools	0.0%		7.9	2067^th of 2067 public elementary schools	0.0%	11	2.0	12.2	0.0	9.8	2.0	3.9	0.0	4.8	3.1	3.6	4.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.4	1.7	97.7	98.1	98.1	98.1	99.8	97.9	98.1		23.7	$18,499	$2,201	$16,298
Robertson Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	2240 E Geddes Ave	Decatur	62526	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 428-7072	327	11	29.7	63.9%	4 (1.2%)	292 (89.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.0%)	12.4	1862^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	9.4%		20.9	1657^th of 2067 public elementary schools	19.8%	205	7.1	21.6	24.0	21.4	35.7	27.6	30.8	42.1	31.0	8.0	3.6	10.7	3.4	2.6	7.9	5.9										$20,000	$1,381	$18,619
Michael E Baum Elementary School	Public	K-6	801 S Lake Ridge Ave	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3521	313	17	18.4	86.6%	100 (31.9%)	129 (41.2%)	13 (4.2%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (21.7%)	14.7	1792^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	12.8%		13.7	1903^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	7.9%	111	16.2		17.0	25.6	21.6	32.4			23.6	13.3	25.6	5.7	8.8			13.7	96.9	97.2	97.2	97.2	98.8	97.2	96.9		10.2	$17,892	$2,273	$15,619
Franklin Grove Elementary School	Public	K-6	2440 N Summit Ave	Decatur	62526	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3561	461	25	18.5	89.8%	106 (23.0%)	243 (52.7%)	15 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (21.0%)	5.5	2043^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	0.6%		9.7	2045^th of 2067 public elementary schools	1.1%	2	4.8		6.1	12.7	6.6	9.4			8.6	3.0	4.8	3.3	1.9			3.3	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.7	98.1	98.1		9.3	$16,270	$2,258	$14,011
Montessori Academy for Peace	Public	PK, KG-8	4735 E Cantrell St	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3390	586	40	14.6	52.9%	271 (46.2%)	186 (31.7%)	8 (1.4%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	116 (19.8%)	26.6	1521^st of 2056 public elementary schools	26.0%		25.1	1541^st of 2067 public elementary schools	25.4%	20	38.1	38.8	15.4	35.2	44.4	45.7	34.6	38.8	35.8	17.3	14.8	19.0	13.0	13.5	8.2	14.6	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5	98.1	97.4	97.7	13.4	25.3	$18,865	$2,231	$16,634

Frequently Asked Questions about Dennis Lab School

How many students attend Dennis Lab School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 579 students attended Dennis Lab School.

Is Dennis Lab School a good school?

Dennis Lab School ranks in the bottom 2.3% of Illinois elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Dennis Lab School attend?

Students who attend Dennis Lab School usually go on to attend:

High : Eisenhower High School
High : MacArthur High School

What district is Dennis Lab School in?

Decatur School District 61

What is the racial makeup of Dennis Lab School?

Students at Dennis Lab School are 50% African American, 28% White, 14% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

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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.