Summary
Malden Grade School is a small public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in the town of Malden, Illinois, with a student population of just 86 students. Over the past several years, the school has seen a concerning decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 327 out of 2,022 Illinois elementary schools in 2004-2005 to 1,310 out of 2,077 schools in the most recent 2022-2023 school year. Currently rated 2 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger, Malden Grade School faces several challenges that are impacting student outcomes.
One key issue is the school's high chronic absenteeism rate, which has risen from 21.1% in 2020-2021 to 29.8% in 2021-2022, significantly higher than the state average of 18.2%. Academically, Malden Grade School's proficiency rates on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) are projected to be below state averages in 2024-2025, with 31.9% proficiency in ELA and 29.8% in Math, compared to state averages of 53.1% and 38.5%, respectively. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 52.33% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year.
When compared to nearby schools, such as Dalzell Grade School, which has significantly higher proficiency rates in both ELA (68%) and Math (32%) for the 2024-2025 school year, Malden Grade School's academic performance appears to be lagging behind. However, the school's spending per student ($13,217 in 2023-2024) and relatively low student-teacher ratio of 10.2 in 2023-2024 suggest that the challenges it faces may not be solely related to resource allocation. The school's declining statewide ranking over the years indicates the need for a closer examination of its instructional practices and strategies to address the unique needs of its student population.
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