Edwards County CUSD 1

The three schools in Edwards County CUSD 1 serve pre-K through grade 12, with 427 students at Albion Grade School, 171 at West Salem Grade School, and 223 at Edwards County High School. In 2025–2026, the two elementary schools averaged 76% proficiency in ELA, compared with 56% statewide, and 43% in math, compared with 40% statewide. Both schools were above state results in both subjects, but the broadest academic strength across the elementary schools is literacy: their ELA advantage was 20 percentage points, versus 3 points in math.

West Salem Grade School leads on the all-grades elementary results, with 78% in ELA and 44% in math, compared with 74% and 41% at Albion Grade School. The overall lead does not hold in every grade: Albion is ahead in grade 3 math and grade 8 ELA, while West Salem leads grade 5 math by 31 points. SchoolDigger rates West Salem 4 stars and places it at the 81st statewide percentile; Albion and Edwards County High School each receive 3 stars and the 64th percentile. The high school stands out in 11th-grade ACT results, above state proficiency by 18 points in ELA, 3 in math, and 11 in science; its grade 10 PreACT results are weaker, including science 15 points below the state.

Elementary trends are mixed: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, Albion rose 5 points in ELA and 3 in math, while West Salem fell 1 point in ELA and 3 in math. The two-school average advantage over the state narrowed from 21 to 20 points in ELA and from 5 to 3 points in math. The high school’s grade 10 PreACT science result also dropped 18 points, from 51% to 33%. For context, 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible figures were 47% at Albion, 54% at West Salem, and 41% at the high school; student-teacher ratios were 14.0, 12.3, and 10.7, respectively. The high school’s graduation rate was 81%, below the state’s 90%, while its chronic absenteeism was 16%, below the state’s 24%.