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Michael E Baum Elementary School

Q: Is Michael E Baum Elementary School a good school?

Michael E Baum Elementary School ranks in the bottom 12.8% of Illinois elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Michael E Baum Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 313 students attended Michael E Baum Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Michael E Baum Elementary School?

Students at Michael E Baum Elementary School are 41% African American, 32% White, 22% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

Public Grades K-6

1792^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Michael E Baum Elementary School is a public elementary school in Decatur, Illinois, serving 311 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Decatur School District 61, which is ranked 806 out of 811 school districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Michael E Baum Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Illinois elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly lower than the state and district averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 23.6% of students were proficient in ELA and 13.7% in Math, compared to the state averages of 53.1% and 38.5%, respectively. The school also has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 45.3% to 46.1% in recent years, which are much higher than the state and district averages.

While the nearby schools in the Decatur School District 61, such as Franklin Grove Elementary, South Shores Elementary, and Johns Hill Magnet School, also perform poorly compared to the state averages, some schools, like Johns Hill Magnet School and Montessori Academy for Peace, have slightly higher academic performance and lower chronic absenteeism rates than Michael E Baum Elementary School. Despite the relatively high spending per student at Michael E Baum Elementary School, the school's academic outcomes remain significantly below state and district averages, suggesting that additional resources alone may not be enough to improve student performance.

313

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,892

Per pupil spending ?

86.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

801 S Lake Ridge Ave
Decatur, IL 62521-4348

(217) 362-3521

District: Decatur School District 61

Students who attend Michael E Baum Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Stephen Decatur Middle School
High:	Eisenhower High School
	MacArthur High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

41.2%

White:

31.9%

Two or more races:

21.7%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Michael E Baum Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Decatur School District 61

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (18% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 25% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school18%

District avg13%

Illinois avg44%

1,792^nd of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	1792 of 2056	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	1903 of 2067	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	1930 of 2077	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.8	1872 of 2082	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.5	1734 of 1948	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	1848 of 2086	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.5	1735 of 2037	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.4	1665 of 2044	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.3	1878 of 2046	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	22.2	1653 of 2052	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	25.7	1640 of 2093	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	30.8	1577 of 2167	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	51.7	1252 of 2166	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.5	1328 of 2147	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.3	1254 of 2139	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.7	1359 of 2120	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.6	1387 of 2092	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	36.2	1572 of 2095	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	38.9	1527 of 2086	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	51.4	1202 of 2022	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	50.4	1199 of 2030	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2003	58.4	1031 of 2020	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	644 of 688	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	626 of 655	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	475 of 692	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.6	463 of 684	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.3	471 of 711	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	448 of 698	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	26.5	696 of 886	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	1642 of 1942	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	1799 of 1942	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	1926 of 1957	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	1729 of 1970	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	1621 of 1680	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	1802 of 2019	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.8	1621 of 1964	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	18.8	1595 of 1800	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	1692 of 1793	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	1662 of 1808	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	1627 of 1763	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	1300 of 1514	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.0	1570 of 1816	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	1377 of 1765	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.6	1680 of 1947	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	1718 of 1959	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	1834 of 1984	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	1766 of 1977	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.2	1426 of 1707	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	1711 of 2019	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.6	1689 of 1972	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2019	6.4	89 of 89	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	896 of 1292	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.3	1090 of 1195	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	970 of 1156	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	766 of 1113	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	660 of 1194	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	1263 of 1389	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	1315 of 1392	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.4	1393 of 1419	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.7	1398 of 1425	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.4	1265 of 1308	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.7	1403 of 1462	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.5	1375 of 1463	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)31st percentile+18 vs school

Disabled (2024)21st percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile~ school

White (2025)9th percentile-4 vs school

African American (2025)6th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)<1st percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts24%-29 vs state

Science16%-24 vs state

Mathematics14%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Michael E Baum Elementary 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
McGaughey Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	1320 W Main St	Mount Zion	62549	Macon County	Mt Zion CUSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 864-2711	371	22	17.1	38.8%	336 (90.6%)	5 (1.3%)	11 (3.0%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.5%)								(n/a)																	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	15.3		$12,195	$1,041	$11,154
Mt Zion Elementary School	Public	2-3	725 W Main St	Mount Zion	62549	Macon County	Mt Zion CUSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 864-3631	359	23	15.5	30.1%	322 (89.7%)	5 (1.4%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.4%)								(n/a)			55.7						55.7	63.2						63.2	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9			$11,054	$1,067	$9,987

Frequently Asked Questions about Michael E Baum Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Michael E Baum Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Michael E Baum Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Stephen Decatur Middle School
High : Eisenhower High School
High : MacArthur High School

What is the racial makeup of Michael E Baum Elementary School?

Students at Michael E Baum Elementary School are 41% African American, 32% White, 22% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

How many students attend Michael E Baum Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 313 students attended Michael E Baum Elementary School.

Is Michael E Baum Elementary School a good school?

Michael E Baum Elementary School ranks in the bottom 12.8% of Illinois elementary schools.

What district is Michael E Baum Elementary School in?

Decatur School District 61

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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.