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South Shores Elementary School

Q: Is South Shores Elementary School a good school?

South Shores Elementary School ranks in the bottom 1.1% of Illinois elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend South Shores Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 335 students attended South Shores Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of South Shores Elementary School?

Students at South Shores Elementary School are 51% African American, 26% White, 18% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

Q: What schools do graduates of South Shores Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Shores Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Stephen Decatur Middle School High : Eisenhower High School High : MacArthur High School

Public Grades K-6

2034^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

South Shores Elementary School is a public elementary school in Decatur, Illinois, serving 338 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Decatur School District 61, which is ranked 806 out of 811 school districts in the state.

South Shores Elementary School consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Illinois, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science that are significantly lower than the state and district averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 11.4% of students were proficient in ELA and 4% in Math, compared to the state averages of 53.1% and 38.5%, respectively. The school also has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 45% to 46.1% in recent years, which likely contributes to its poor academic performance.

While South Shores Elementary School spends a relatively high amount per student, with a per-student expenditure of $17,613 in the 2023-2024 school year, its academic outcomes remain among the lowest in the state. Nearby schools in the Decatur School District 61, such as American Dreamer STEM Academy and Montessori Academy for Peace, generally outperform South Shores Elementary School in academic metrics, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be enough to improve student performance without addressing other underlying issues, such as attendance, teaching quality, and school climate.

335

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,564

Per pupil spending ?

87.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2500 S Franklin Street Rd
Decatur, IL 62521-5302

(217) 362-3321

District: Decatur School District 61

Students who attend South Shores Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Stephen Decatur Middle School
High:	Eisenhower High School
	MacArthur High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.0%

White:

26.3%

Two or more races:

18.2%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare South Shores Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (7% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 25% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school7%

District avg13%

Illinois avg44%

2,034^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 15% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	6.2	2034 of 2056	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	2044 of 2067	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	2039 of 2077	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	1965 of 2082	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.6	1729 of 1948	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	1941 of 2086	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	1930 of 2037	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.3	1891 of 2044	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.2	1911 of 2046	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	18.7	1744 of 2052	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.6	1841 of 2093	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	20.0	1797 of 2167	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	12.8	1985 of 2166	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	17.6	1867 of 2147	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.5	1561 of 2139	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	31.5	1617 of 2120	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.2	1695 of 2092	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	26.4	1732 of 2095	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.3	1636 of 2086	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	50.3	1224 of 2022	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	27.1	1626 of 2030	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	25.5	1604 of 2020	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.0	670 of 688	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	611 of 655	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	681 of 692	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	676 of 684	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.3	396 of 428	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	694 of 711	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	652 of 698	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	938 of 1049	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	752 of 886	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	840 of 907	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	1887 of 1942	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	1896 of 1942	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	1883 of 1957	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	1789 of 1970	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.9	1663 of 1680	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	1854 of 2019	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	1887 of 1964	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	7.9	1781 of 1800	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	1763 of 1793	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	1756 of 1808	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	1671 of 1763	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	1453 of 1514	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	1664 of 1816	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	1641 of 1765	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	5.5	1939 of 1947	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	1935 of 1959	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	1951 of 1984	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	1900 of 1977	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.1	1690 of 1707	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.6	1871 of 2019	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.8	1758 of 1972	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	10.8	89 of 93	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	1246 of 1292	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	1118 of 1195	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	1108 of 1156	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	1063 of 1113	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	2.7	1374 of 1389	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.0	1390 of 1392	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	1391 of 1419	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	1387 of 1425	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.6	1404 of 1462	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.0	1437 of 1463	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2025)11th percentile+10 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)4th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

African American (2025)3rd percentile~ school

White (2025)1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts11%-42 vs state

Science7%-33 vs state

Mathematics4%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Shores Elementary School

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)	% Pneumococcal (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	% Pneumococcal All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
McGaughey Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	1320 W Main St	Mount Zion	62549	Macon County	Mt Zion CUSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 864-2711	371	22	17.1	38.8%	336 (90.6%)	5 (1.3%)	11 (3.0%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.5%)								(n/a)																	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.1	15.3		$12,195	$1,041	$11,154
Montessori Academy for Peace	Public	PK, KG-8	4735 E Cantrell St	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3390	586	40	14.6	52.9%	271 (46.2%)	186 (31.7%)	8 (1.4%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	116 (19.8%)	26.6	1521^st of 2056 public elementary schools	26.0%		25.1	1541^st of 2067 public elementary schools	25.4%	20	38.1	38.8	15.4	35.2	44.4	45.7	34.6	38.8	35.8	17.3	14.8	19.0	13.0	13.5	8.2	14.6	97.5	97.5	97.5	97.5	98.1	97.4	97.7	13.4	25.3	$18,865	$2,231	$16,634

Frequently Asked Questions about South Shores Elementary School

Is South Shores Elementary School a good school?

South Shores Elementary School ranks in the bottom 1.1% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend South Shores Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 335 students attended South Shores Elementary School.

What district is South Shores Elementary School in?

Decatur School District 61

What schools do graduates of South Shores Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Shores Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Stephen Decatur Middle School
High : Eisenhower High School
High : MacArthur High School

What is the racial makeup of South Shores Elementary School?

Students at South Shores Elementary School are 51% African American, 26% White, 18% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

Rate South Shores Elementary School!

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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.