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Central Grade School

Q: Is Central Grade School a good school?

Central Grade School ranks 957 th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

957^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Central Grade School in Effingham, Illinois, serves 547 students in grades 3–5. Its most important academic concern is fifth grade: in 2025–2026, proficiency was 50% in English Language Arts (ELA), 31% in math, and 40% in science, below state results of 55%, 36%, and 48%, respectively. Some nearby schools’ fifth-grade math scores were suppressed, so those unknown results are not treated as zero. Central had the lowest fifth-grade ELA and science results among eight nearby schools, and its math result was below every nearby result that was reported.

Across all grades, Central was slightly above the state in ELA and math: 58% versus 56% in ELA, and 41% versus 40% in math. But it trailed the Effingham CUSD 40 in ELA (58% versus 64%) and was essentially level with the district in math (40.9% versus 40.6%). Compared with nearby schools, Central ranked second-lowest of eight in ELA and third-lowest in math; its results were 11 points below the other schools’ average in ELA and 13 points below in math. Attendance is a relative strength: chronic absenteeism was 8%, compared with 13% in the district and 24% statewide, the third-lowest rate among ten nearby schools.

ELA and math have improved since 2023–2024, rising 18 and 15 percentage points, respectively, though math fell 3 points in the latest year. SchoolDigger placed Central at the 45th percentile (2 stars) in 2025–2026, down from the 59th percentile (3 stars) the previous year; the district was at the 52nd percentile (3 stars). SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well Central serves White students stood at the 15th percentile, compared with 45th overall, and had fallen from the 34th percentile in 2023–2024. The 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 12.8, lower than six of nine nearby schools with data. That year, 47% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with a 42% average among nearby schools; this is context, not an explanation for results.

547

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,088

Per pupil spending ?

47.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.2%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

3901 S Banker St.
Effingham, IL 62401-5405

(217) 540-1400

District: Effingham CUSD 40

Students who attend Central Grade School usually attend:

Middle:	Effingham Junior High School
High:	Effingham High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.3%

Hispanic:

7.5%

African American:

2.4%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Central Grade School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg48%

Illinois avg48%

957^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to bottom 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

352^nd of 738Effingham CUSD 40 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
2026	42.6	957 of 1737	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.7	843 of 2056	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.2	835 of 2067	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.7	716 of 2077	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.5	872 of 2082	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.6	887 of 1948	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.7	1226 of 2086	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.6	1214 of 2037	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.5	1032 of 2044	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.4	1023 of 2046	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.5	652 of 2052	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.8	967 of 2093	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.0	989 of 2167	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.2	957 of 2166	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.8	782 of 2147	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	75.4	545 of 2139	74.5%	★★★★☆
2009	68.6	779 of 2120	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	75.0	544 of 2092	74.0%	★★★★☆
2007	74.7	507 of 2095	75.8%	★★★★☆
2006	74.7	519 of 2086	75.1%	★★★★☆
2005	76.2	440 of 2022	78.2%	★★★★☆
2004	76.1	486 of 2030	76.1%	★★★★☆
2003	79.1	377 of 2020	81.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	39.4	588 of 1049	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.6	353 of 886	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.1	229 of 907	74.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	44.4	402 of 826	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	944 of 1286	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	57.4	795 of 1942	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.4	758 of 1942	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.2	611 of 1957	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.3	761 of 1970	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.6	871 of 1680	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.4	1225 of 2019	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.7	1223 of 1964	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	29.4	729 of 982	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.5	637 of 959	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	65.3	221 of 954	76.8%	★★★★☆
2019	39.4	572 of 955	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.0	882 of 938	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	73.0	12 of 52	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	60.5	11 of 30	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	8 of 24	66.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	647 of 1001	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	65.8	485 of 1800	73.1%	★★★★☆
2024	56.3	646 of 1793	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	492 of 1808	72.8%	★★★★☆
2022	65.4	422 of 1763	76.1%	★★★★☆
2021	52.8	572 of 1514	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.4	1153 of 1816	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.2	1231 of 1765	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	34.5	862 of 1311	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.9	789 of 1947	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.5	848 of 1959	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.1	743 of 1984	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.1	877 of 1977	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.6	744 of 1707	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.9	1130 of 2019	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.2	1081 of 1972	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2018	48.1	34 of 78	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	30.7	876 of 1292	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.8	683 of 1195	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	493 of 1156	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.4	622 of 1113	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.5	311 of 640	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.7	584 of 1194	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.1	371 of 763	51.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	20.4	973 of 1149	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.8	982 of 1389	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.2	925 of 1392	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.1	836 of 1419	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	1027 of 1425	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.5	950 of 1308	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	1241 of 1462	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	1226 of 1463	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2024)77th percentile+17 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)56th percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)51st percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2025)44th percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2026)34th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2025)32nd percentile-27 vs school

Female (2026)27th percentile-18 vs school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile-33 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts58%~ state avg

Mathematics41%~ state avg

Science40%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Grade School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISA Science (2026)		IAR English Language Arts (2026)							IAR Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Grade School	Public	3-5	3901 S Banker St.	Effingham	62401	Effingham County	Effingham CUSD 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 540-1400	547	43	12.8	47.3%	483 (88.3%)	13 (2.4%)	41 (7.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.6%)	42.6	957^th of 1737 public elementary schools	44.9%		58.7	843^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	59.0%	114	40.4		60.6	62.2	50.0				57.5	46.1	46.2	30.6				40.9	97.2%		$16,088	$1,026	$15,062
Early Learning Center	Public	K	3224 S Banker St	Effingham	62401	Effingham County	Effingham CUSD 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 540-1460	175	16	10.9	40.0%	147 (84.0%)	2 (1.1%)	15 (8.6%)	3 (1.7%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.6%)	5 (2.9%)								(n/a)																	90.6%		$16,921	$959	$15,962
South Side Grade School	Public	1-2	211 W Douglas Ave	Effingham	62401	Effingham County	Effingham CUSD 40	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 540-1530	248	25	9.9	54.0%	213 (85.9%)	5 (2.0%)	25 (10.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)								(n/a)																	97.5%		$14,701	$1,398	$13,303
Teutopolis Grade School	Public	PK, KG-6	309 E Main St	Teutopolis	62467	Effingham County	Teutopolis CUSD 50	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 857-3232	620	43	14.5	10.0%	600 (96.8%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.5%)	91.3	103^rd of 1737 public elementary schools	94.1%		92.7	120^th of 2056 public elementary schools	94.2%	17	73.2		83.5	91.0	77.5	86.6			84.7	79.6	70.5	74.6	68.3			73.7	96.1%		$8,959	$657	$8,302
Dieterich Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	205 S Pine St	Dieterich	62424	Effingham County	Dieterich CUSD 30	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 925-5248	359	24	15.2	28.1%	354 (98.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	79.2	313^th of 1737 public elementary schools	82.0%		85.3	274^th of 2056 public elementary schools	86.7%	39	68.3		65.9	60.4	70.7	92.9			71.8	65.9	54.7	68.3	85.7			67.8	94.4%		$11,085	$1,102	$9,984
Altamont Grade School	Public	PK, KG-8	407 S Edwards St	Altamont	62411	Effingham County	Altamont CUSD 10	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 483-5171	462	39	12.0	62.3%	433 (93.7%)	5 (1.1%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	50.6	829^th of 1737 public elementary schools	52.3%		70.6	586^th of 2056 public elementary schools	71.5%	243	49.0	63.0	39.6	63.6	61.2	75.6	62.2	75.9	62.8	41.5	50.9	40.8	44.4	43.2	35.2	42.7	96.1%		$14,030	$2,252	$11,778
Beecher City Grade School	Public	PK, KG-5	304 E Vine	Beecher City	62414	Effingham County	Beecher City CUSD 20	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 487-5100	196	15	13.1	49.5%	188 (95.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	65.4	571^st of 1737 public elementary schools	67.1%		61.4	775^th of 2056 public elementary schools	62.3%	204	56.3		55.6	71.4	53.1				59.8	70.4	60.7					49.4	97%		$13,290	$585	$12,705
Stewardson-Strasburg Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2806 E 600 North Rd	Strasburg	62465	Shelby County	Stewardson-Strasburg CUD 5A	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 682-3621	290	21	14.0	39.0%	271 (93.4%)	3 (1.0%)	6 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)	77.3	347^th of 1737 public elementary schools	80.0%		77	457^th of 2056 public elementary schools	77.8%	110	63.0	50.0	51.5	87.5	77.8	82.8	56.7	79.2	71.3	54.5	83.3	63.0	51.7	43.3	50.0	56.9	92.8%		$11,554	$887	$10,667
St Elmo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	519 W 2nd St	Saint Elmo	62458	Fayette County	St Elmo CUSD 202	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 829-3263	222	16	13.7	56.8%	213 (95.9%)	2 (0.9%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	69	494^th of 1737 public elementary schools	71.6%		65.3	699^th of 2056 public elementary schools	66.0%	205	55.3		80.8	71.0	60.5	71.4			69.9	61.5	61.3		42.9			45.5	99.1%		$14,224	$2,410	$11,814
Neoga Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	850 E 7th St	Neoga	62447	Cumberland County	Neoga CUSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 775-6049	241	18	13.3	41.1%	224 (92.9%)	3 (1.2%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.6%)	48.3	861^st of 1737 public elementary schools	50.4%		54.1	921^st of 2056 public elementary schools	55.2%	60	50.0		47.2	58.3	66.7				57.0	38.9	52.1					42.5	98.5%		$12,055	$961	$11,093

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Grade School

What is the racial makeup of Central Grade School?

Students at Central Grade School are 88% White, 7% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Is Central Grade School a good school?

Central Grade School ranks 957^th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central Grade School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 547 students attended Central Grade School.

What schools do graduates of Central Grade School attend?

Students who attend Central Grade School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Effingham Junior High School
High : Effingham High School

What district is Central Grade School in?

Effingham CUSD 40

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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.