Summary:
Normal, Illinois has 16 schools—nine elementary, three middle and four high schools—serving students in a mix of public, charter and laboratory-school settings. Results are uneven: elementary averages are slightly below state results in all-grades ELA and math (55% vs. 56%, and 38% vs. 40%), while middle schools average above the state in ELA (60% vs. 56%) but below it in math (33% vs. 40%). The most important takeaway is that citywide averages mask substantial differences among schools, especially in elementary and high-school results.
Thomas Metcalf School leads elementary results, with 82% in all-grades ELA and 62% in math; Sugar Creek Elementary School is lowest, at 34% and 19%—gaps of 49 and 43 percentage points. In fifth-grade science, Metcalf scores 78%, compared with 38% at Oakdale Elementary School. Among middle schools, Chiddix Junior High School leads ELA at 67% and eighth-grade science at 71%; Kingsley Junior High School has the lowest all-grades math, at 29%. University High School is the high-school standout: its ACT proficiency is 81% in ELA, 73% in math and 79% in science, exceeding state results by 31, 33 and 31 points. Normal Community West High School is below the state in ACT ELA and math.
Recent changes are mixed: middle-school ELA rose 10 points on average, from 50% to 60%, while the state rose 3 points; elementary math fell 4 points, from 43% to 38%, even as the state gained 1 point. SchoolDigger ranks University High in the state’s 97th percentile and Metcalf in the 83rd, versus the 23rd percentile for Sugar Creek and 20th for Oakdale. As context—not an explanation of scores—free/reduced lunch eligibility in 2024–2025 ranged from 15% at Grove Elementary School to 65% at Oakdale; Sugar Creek reported 61%. These comparisons can help families see how much results vary by school, while considering each school’s broader circumstances.
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