Elementary Schools in Decatur School District 61

The Decatur School District 61 in Illinois is home to 12 elementary schools serving grades pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, with student populations ranging from 311 to 639. The district as a whole is ranked 806 out of 811 in Illinois and is rated 0 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, indicating significant challenges in student achievement.

Among the schools, a few stand out in performance. Montessori Academy for Peace has the highest proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grades, significantly outperforming the district and state averages. Robertson Charter School, a public charter, also has strong proficiency rates in English Language Arts, while Michael E Baum Elementary School has high proficiency in both subjects. However, the district as a whole struggles, with all schools having chronic absenteeism rates well above the state average and high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating significant economic disadvantage among the student populations.

The data highlights the challenges faced by the Decatur School District 61, with most schools struggling to meet state proficiency standards. The standout performance of a few schools, such as Montessori Academy for Peace and Robertson Charter School, suggests that there may be effective educational approaches and models that could be replicated to drive improvement across the district, which is crucial given the significant achievement gaps between the district and the state.