Summary:
Galesburg CUSD 205 includes seven schools in Galesburg, Illinois, serving prekindergarten through grade 12: four elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. In 2025–2026, proficiency rates at the tested schools were generally below state results: the three K–4 schools averaged 36% in ELA and 28% in math, compared with 56% and 40% statewide. The clearest districtwide concern is that elementary and middle school gaps from the state widened in both subjects from the prior year.
Silas Willard Elementary School stands out among the K–4 schools, leading in ELA at 46% and math at 37%; it was 10 points below the state in ELA and 3 points below in math. King School was lowest, at 28% in ELA and 20% in math, while Steele School fell between them at 34% and 27%. Among the middle schools, Lombard Middle School had higher ELA results than Galesburg Junior High School (39% versus 31%), while the junior high was slightly higher in math (16% versus 13%). Their grade spans differ, so these are not same-grade comparisons. Galesburg Senior High School was below the state in all three reported ACT subjects, with its largest gap in math: 27% proficient versus 40% statewide.
Trends vary by school: Willard’s ELA rose 7 points from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, narrowing its state gap by 4 points, while King’s ELA fell from 32% to 28%. Across the K–4 schools, the average state gap widened from 18 to 20 points in ELA and from 9 to 12 points in math. SchoolDigger’s rankings also fell from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026: Willard went from the 57th to the 30th percentile, Steele from the 46th to the 11th, and King from the 26th to the 4th. Willard’s student-teacher ratio was 11.1, compared with 14.3 at King and 13.2 at Steele. Their free/reduced lunch eligible rates for school year 2024–2025 were 73%, 87% and 77%, respectively; these are contextual measures, not explanations for score differences. Bright Futures Pre-K Prog has no supplied test scores.
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