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American Dreamer STEM Academy

Public Grades K-8

1982^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

American Dreamer STEM Academy is an elementary school in Decatur, Illinois that serves grades K-8 and has 364 students. The school faces significant challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 5-10% of Illinois elementary schools with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years.

American Dreamer STEM Academy's academic performance is concerning, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics that are significantly lower than state and district averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 16.5% of students were proficient in ELA compared to 53.1% statewide, and only 5.5% were proficient in Math compared to 38.5% statewide. The school also has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.4% to 46.1% in recent years, which are much higher than the state and district averages. Despite spending significantly more per student ($19,032 in 2023-2024) compared to the district average, the school's academic outcomes have not improved.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Decatur School District 61, such as Muffley Elementary, Robertson Charter School, and Montessori Academy for Peace, generally perform better than American Dreamer STEM Academy on academic measures, suggesting that factors beyond just district-level resources and policies may be contributing to the underperformance of American Dreamer STEM Academy.

423

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,443

Per pupil spending ?

89.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2115 S Taylor Rd
Decatur, IL 62521-9103

(217) 362-3380

District: Decatur School District 61

Racial breakdown:

African American:

66.7%

White:

16.5%

Two or more races:

13.7%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare American Dreamer STEM Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 14th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (15% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg15%

Illinois avg44%

Elementary school

1,982^nd of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,295^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 5%▲ up 1 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Decatur School District 61

806^th of 811Decatur School District 61 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	8.6	1982 of 2056	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.0	2014 of 2067	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.4	2029 of 2077	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	1988 of 2082	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.1	1858 of 1948	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	2043 of 2086	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.5	2024 of 2037	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.6	2000 of 2044	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	10.8	1950 of 2046	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	18.0	1759 of 2052	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.8	1496 of 2093	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.0	1742 of 2167	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.2	1739 of 2166	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.3	1713 of 2147	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	46.7	1359 of 2139	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.9	1282 of 2120	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.1	1283 of 2092	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.5	1375 of 2095	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	29.2	1671 of 2086	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	35.1	1490 of 2022	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	64.3	863 of 2030	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	58.8	1017 of 2020	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	620 of 688	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	580 of 655	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	633 of 692	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	572 of 684	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.8	320 of 428	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	645 of 711	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	672 of 698	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	7.7	1899 of 1942	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.4	1820 of 1942	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	1908 of 1957	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	1854 of 1970	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	1604 of 1680	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.9	1992 of 2019	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.2	1954 of 1964	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	1737 of 1800	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	1742 of 1793	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	1770 of 1808	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	1673 of 1763	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	1409 of 1514	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	1775 of 1816	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	1756 of 1765	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.3	1809 of 1947	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	1923 of 1959	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	1915 of 1984	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	1910 of 1977	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.8	1675 of 1707	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	1919 of 2019	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1936 of 1972	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	1311 of 1389	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	10.9	1295 of 1368	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	1290 of 1363	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.5	1312 of 1367	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	1288 of 1369	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	1182 of 1241	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	524 of 574	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	461 of 548	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	530 of 569	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	481 of 573	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.4	323 of 385	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	10.3	1185 of 1248	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	1223 of 1251	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	1218 of 1275	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	1239 of 1286	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.7	996 of 1017	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	1152 of 1229	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	1109 of 1219	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	1154 of 1234	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	1091 of 1221	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.0	934 of 1019	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	1205 of 1271	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	1125 of 1264	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	1238 of 1292	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	1148 of 1286	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.0	1003 of 1048	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2025)10th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)7th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2025)9th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

Science18%-25 vs state

English Language Arts16%-37 vs state

Mathematics6%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near American Dreamer STEM Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)		IAR English Language Arts (2025)							IAR Mathematics (2025)							% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
American Dreamer STEM Academy	Public	K-8	2115 S Taylor Rd	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3380	423	28	15.1	89.1%	70 (16.5%)	282 (66.7%)	12 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (13.7%)	8.6	1982^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	3.6%		11	2014^th of 2067 public elementary schools	2.6%	32	14.9	21.6	4.3	22.7	14.9	16.7	14.6	28.9	16.5	12.8	6.8	4.3	4.2	0.0	5.3	5.5	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	30.6	$20,443	$5,488	$14,955
Dennis Lab School	Public	K-8	300 Meadow Terrace Pl	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3511	579	35	16.5	84.6%	164 (28.3%)	289 (49.9%)	43 (7.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (14.0%)	7.7	2008^th of 2056 public elementary schools	2.3%		11.8	1980^th of 2067 public elementary schools	4.2%	28	17.9	17.4	16.0	7.4	14.5	6.1	17.2	4.3	10.6	7.8	1.9	5.4	4.6	9.4	2.9	5.3	91.9	94.2	94.2	94.2	98.9	94.0	94.0	27.6	$16,353	$1,930	$14,423
South Shores Elementary School	Public	K-6	2500 S Franklin Street Rd	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3321	335	18	18.4	87.2%	88 (26.3%)	171 (51.0%)	12 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (18.2%)	6.2	2034^th of 2056 public elementary schools	1.1%		9.7	2044^th of 2067 public elementary schools	1.1%	10	7.1		12.5	13.2	2.4	17.0			11.4	8.3	5.3	2.4	0.0			4.0	95.6	95.9	95.9	95.9	97.8	95.9	95.9	10.4	$17,564	$2,789	$14,774
Johns Hill Magnet School	Public	K-8	1025 E Johns Ave	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3350	627	41	15.2	79.7%	97 (15.5%)	248 (39.6%)	190 (30.3%)	22 (3.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (10.8%)	13.3	1838^th of 2056 public elementary schools	10.6%		15.6	1825^th of 2067 public elementary schools	11.7%	13	18.8	22.4	20.3	19.0	17.2	23.5	24.2	17.9	20.4	15.6	17.5	7.8	13.2	19.4	3.0	12.6	95.5	95.3	95.3	95.3	96.7	95.5	95.6	31.4	$18,151	$2,446	$15,705
Hope Academy	Public	K-8	955 N Illinois St	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3280	501	36	13.9	93.8%	98 (19.6%)	320 (63.9%)	17 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (13.2%)	4.3	2056^th of 2056 public elementary schools	0.0%		7.9	2067^th of 2067 public elementary schools	0.0%	11	2.0	12.2	0.0	9.8	2.0	3.9	0.0	4.8	3.1	3.6	4.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.4	1.7	97.7	98.1	98.1	98.1	99.8	97.9	98.1	23.7	$18,499	$2,201	$16,298
Franklin Grove Elementary School	Public	K-6	2440 N Summit Ave	Decatur	62526	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3561	461	25	18.5	89.8%	106 (23.0%)	243 (52.7%)	15 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (21.0%)	5.5	2043^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	0.6%		9.7	2045^th of 2067 public elementary schools	1.1%	2	4.8		6.1	12.7	6.6	9.4			8.6	3.0	4.8	3.3	1.9			3.3	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.7	98.1	98.1	9.3	$16,270	$2,258	$14,011
Muffley Elementary School	Public	K-6	88 S Country Club Rd	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3341	386	22	17.5	84.5%	130 (33.7%)	188 (48.7%)	17 (4.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (12.7%)	8.9	1974^th of 2056 public elementary schools	4.0%		11.9	1978^th of 2067 public elementary schools	4.3%	4	15.5		15.3	14.0	10.3	23.5			15.6	13.6	6.0	1.7	6.0			6.9	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	100.0	99.2	98.7	8.1	$17,847	$2,601	$15,246
Robertson Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	2240 E Geddes Ave	Decatur	62526	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 428-7072	327	11	29.7	63.9%	4 (1.2%)	292 (89.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.0%)	12.4	1862^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	9.4%		20.9	1657^th of 2067 public elementary schools	19.8%	205	7.1	21.6	24.0	21.4	35.7	27.6	30.8	42.1	31.0	8.0	3.6	10.7	3.4	2.6	7.9	5.9									$20,000	$1,381	$18,619
Michael E Baum Elementary School	Public	K-6	801 S Lake Ridge Ave	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3521	313	17	18.4	86.6%	100 (31.9%)	129 (41.2%)	13 (4.2%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (21.7%)	14.7	1792^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	12.8%		13.7	1903^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	7.9%	111	16.2		17.0	25.6	21.6	32.4			23.6	13.3	25.6	5.7	8.8			13.7	96.9	97.2	97.2	97.2	98.8	97.2	96.9	10.2	$17,892	$2,273	$15,619
Parsons Elementary School	Public	K-6	3591 N MacArthur Rd	Decatur	62526	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3330	505	32	15.7	89.5%	134 (26.5%)	248 (49.1%)	29 (5.7%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (17.2%)	7.9	2001^st of 2056 public elementary schools	2.7%		10.1	2032^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	1.7%	31	12.7		13.9	16.7	19.0	5.1			14.0	12.5	6.4	6.6	0.0			6.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	84.2	95.7	95.7	10.2	$16,395	$2,306	$14,088

Frequently Asked Questions about American Dreamer STEM Academy

Is American Dreamer STEM Academy a good school?

American Dreamer STEM Academy ranks in the bottom 3.6% of Illinois elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of American Dreamer STEM Academy?

Students at American Dreamer STEM Academy are 67% African American, 17% White, 14% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend American Dreamer STEM Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended American Dreamer STEM Academy.

What district is American Dreamer STEM Academy in?

Decatur School District 61

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.