Best Public Schools in Grafton, IL

The city of Grafton, Illinois is home to two schools: Grafton Elementary School, a public elementary school serving grades PK-4, and Il Youth Center - Pere Marquette, a specialized public high school serving grades 8-12. While Grafton Elementary has a relatively large enrollment of 194 students, Il Youth Center - Pere Marquette serves a much smaller population of just 10 students.

Grafton Elementary School has maintained a consistent 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past 3 school years, indicating average performance. The school stands out for its strong 4th-grade ELA proficiency, which at 72.2% in 2024-2025 outperforms both the district and state averages. However, the school also faces a concerning high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4% in 2024-2025. In contrast, Il Youth Center - Pere Marquette boasts an impressive 89.0% four-year graduation rate and a low 2.4% dropout rate in 2024-2025, despite its small enrollment.

The data also reveals stark differences in per-student spending and student-teacher ratios between the two schools. Il Youth Center - Pere Marquette spends significantly more per student at $106,135 compared to $11,872 at Grafton Elementary School, and maintains an extremely low student-teacher ratio of 1.4, indicating a highly personalized learning environment. These findings suggest that the specialized nature of Il Youth Center - Pere Marquette caters to a unique student population with specific needs.