Stewardson-Strasburg CUD 5A

Stewardson-Strasburg CUD 5A is a small, two-school district serving 433 students from prekindergarten through grade 12: 290 at the elementary school and 143 at the high school. In 2025–2026, chronic absenteeism was lower at both schools than the state rate—8% at elementary and 11% at high school, compared with 24% statewide. Most importantly, both schools show notable above-state proficiency in their strongest results, so strengths appear at both levels.

Stewardson-Strasburg Elementary School stands out in its 2025–2026 all-grades results: ELA proficiency was 71% versus 56% statewide, and math was 57% versus 40%. Grade 4 was especially strong, exceeding the state by 32 points in ELA and 41 in math. Stewardson-Strasburg High School stands out in grade 11 ACT results, above the state by 12 points in ELA, 20 in math and 14 in science. The clearest shortfalls occur in specific results: elementary grade 7 ELA was 1 point below the state, while high school grade 10 PreACT ELA was 11 points below and grade 9 PreACT science was 5 points below. Because the schools serve different grades and their results are not directly comparable, these figures do not support a fair head-to-head ranking.

Several key comparisons improved over time: elementary all-grades ELA rose 9 points and math rose 6, widening its state advantages by 5 points in each subject; grade 11 ACT ELA rose 15 points, moving from 5 points below the state to 12 above. However, grade 10 PreACT ELA fell 11 points and grade 9 PreACT science fell 10. SchoolDigger gives the district 4 stars and ranks it 197th of 738; its school rankings are 347th of 1,737 for elementary and 159th of 620 for high school. For context, 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligibility was 39% at elementary and 36% at high school; student–teacher ratios were 14 and 12.5. High school graduation was 100%, versus 90% statewide.