Summary:
Pembroke Township, Illinois has only one public school serving students in grades PK-8 - Lorenzo R. Smith Elementary School. This school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools over the past 3 years and is rated 0-1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger, indicating very low performance.
Lorenzo R. Smith Elementary struggles with concerning test scores, with proficiency rates on the IAR exams significantly below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025 only 26.5% of students were proficient in ELA compared to 53.1% statewide, and just 4.4% were proficient in Math compared to 38.5% statewide. The school also serves a predominantly low-income student population, with 85.43% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
Despite relatively high per-student spending of $20,129 in the 2023-2024 school year, Lorenzo R. Smith Elementary continues to underperform. The school also faces challenges with a high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4% in the 2024-2025 school year. Addressing the equity, resource allocation, and attendance issues will be crucial to driving better outcomes for this high-need student population served by Pembroke CCSD 259.
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