Summary:
Tuscola CUSD 301 is a school district in Illinois that contains a single elementary school, North Ward Elementary School. The school serves students from pre-kindergarten through 6th grade and is located in the Tuscola area.
North Ward Elementary School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past three years, dropping from 775th out of 2,077 Illinois elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 1,226th out of 2,056 in 2024-2025. The school's performance on standardized tests is mixed, with 46.2% of students proficient or better in ELA in 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 53.1%, and only 29.2% of students proficient or better in Math, compared to the state average of 38.5%. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4% in 2024-2025.
Despite these challenges, North Ward Elementary School appears to be well-resourced, with a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 11.6 and per-student spending of $13,154 for the 2023-2024 school year. However, the school's high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 42.64% in 2023-2024, suggests that socioeconomic factors may be playing a role in the school's academic outcomes. Addressing the root causes of the school's underperformance, particularly in Math, and its high chronic absenteeism rate, could be key priorities for the school and district.
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