Best Public Schools in Christopher, IL

Christopher, Illinois, has two public schools: Christopher Elementary School (pre-K–grade 8) and Christopher High (grades 9–12), both in Christopher Unified School District 99. The clearest academic pattern is at the elementary school: results are notably stronger in English language arts and science than in math. In 2025–26, all-grades ELA proficiency was 65% versus 56% statewide, and grade 5 and grade 8 science were 57% versus 48% and 57% versus 52%; all-grades math was 26% versus 40%. The biggest takeaway is that elementary math is the main area of concern, despite stronger results in other subjects.

Christopher Elementary stands out positively in ELA and science, while its math results are its clearest weakness: the all-grades math gap was 13 points below the state, though grade 3 math was 59% versus 49% statewide. At Christopher High, results vary by grade: grade 9 ELA was 66% versus 62% statewide, but grade 10 ELA was 34% versus 54%. Grade 11 ACT results remained below state levels in 2025–26—46% versus 50% in ELA, 36% versus 40% in math, and 39% versus 48% in science. Results cannot support a direct achievement ranking between the schools because they do not share a same-grade, same-year assessment comparison.

Recent results show meaningful improvement in some areas, but not across the board. From 2024–25 to 2025–26, grade 11 ACT proficiency at Christopher High rose 13 points in ELA, 25 in math, and 14 in science; grade 10 ELA and science results fell, while grade 9 ELA improved. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile ranking rose from 39 to 52 for Christopher Elementary and from 28 to 34 for Christopher High; the district is ranked 466 of 738, in the 37th percentile, with 2 stars. In 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 61% and 59%, respectively, and student-teacher ratios were 13.9 and 10.8. Attendance is another difference: 2025–26 chronic absenteeism was 18% at the elementary school and 29% at the high school; the high school’s graduation rate was 83%, versus 90% statewide.