Schools in Forrest, IL

Forrest, Illinois, has two schools in Prairie Central CUSD 8, serving grades 5–8: Prairie Central Upper Elementary (grades 5–6, 216 students) and Prairie Central Junior High School (grades 7–8, 250 students). Most importantly, Upper Elementary exceeded state proficiency in all four grade-specific ELA and math results, while the junior high was below the state in three of its four.

Upper Elementary stands out for stronger 2025–2026 results: its all-grades ELA proficiency was 72%, compared with 56% statewide, and its math was 46%, compared with 40% statewide. The junior high posted 55% in ELA and 29% in math—about 1 point below the state in ELA and 11 points below in math. Upper Elementary’s sixth-grade ELA was especially strong at 80%, 21 points above the state; the junior high’s eighth-grade math was 21%, 14 points below. The all-grades school-to-school gaps were 17 points in ELA and 18 in math, but these compare different grade bands rather than the same grades.

Recent changes are mixed: Junior High ELA fell from 62% to 55% between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, while math rose from 22% to 29% and its gap from the state narrowed from 17 points below to 11 below. Upper Elementary ELA edged up from 70% to 72%, but math fell from 50% to 46%. Context measures also differ: student-teacher ratios are 11.7 and 12.1, respectively; free/reduced lunch eligible figures for school year 2024–2025 are 44% and 52%. Chronic absenteeism in 2025–2026 was 8% at Upper Elementary and 27% at the junior high. SchoolDigger’s junior-high ranking fell from the 61st percentile in 2024–2025 to the 35th in 2025–2026; its 2-star district rating applies to both schools.