Elementary Schools in Prairie-Hills Education Service District 144

The Prairie-Hills Education Service District 144 in Illinois is home to 8 elementary schools serving grades PK-5, with one school, Prairie-Hills STEAM Academy, serving grades PK-4. The schools vary in size, with student populations ranging from 12 at the Primary Learning Center to 359 at Mae Jemison School.

While the majority of the schools in the district underperform state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency, a few stand out. Fieldcrest Elementary School ranks the highest among the district's schools and outperforms the district and state in both subjects. Similarly, Prairie-Hills STEAM Academy significantly outperforms the district in English Language Arts proficiency. Nob Hill Elementary School also stands out, with the highest English Language Arts proficiency rates in the district.

A common challenge across the district is the high rate of chronic absenteeism, which stands at 25.4% across all schools, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, all schools serve a predominantly low-income population, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 92.2% to 99.45%. This suggests a potential correlation between poverty and academic performance, though the success of Fieldcrest Elementary and Prairie-Hills STEAM Academy demonstrates that high-quality instruction and targeted interventions can help overcome these challenges.