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Pope County Elementary School

Q: Is Pope County Elementary School a good school?

Pope County Elementary School ranks 746 th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

746^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Pope County Elementary School serves 300 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade in Golconda, in southern Illinois. Its latest results show a mixed academic picture: English Language Arts (ELA) is above the state level, math is at the state level, and fifth-grade science is well below both the state and nearby schools. The most pressing concerns are low fifth-grade science results and high chronic absenteeism: 30% of fifth-graders met science standards, while 29% of students were chronically absent.

Compared with nearby schools, Pope stands out for third-grade ELA, where its 77% proficiency rate was the highest among schools with reported results, but its all-grades results generally trail the local group. ELA was 67%, below the nearby-school average of 72%, and math was 40%, compared with a nearby average of 58%; in both subjects, Pope ranked second-lowest among the seven schools. Fifth-grade science was the lowest in the group, at 30% versus a nearby average of 65%. Against the state, however, Pope was 10 percentage points higher in all-grades ELA and level in math. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 29% was higher than the state’s 24%, the district’s 25%, and the nearby-school average of 16%. The district’s reported ELA and math results matched Pope’s.

Results have improved substantially since 2023–2024: ELA rose from 34% to 67%, and math from 19% to 40%; the state math rate was also 40% in 2025–2026. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking rose from the 44th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 57th percentile in 2025–2026, earning three stars, though Pope remained near the lower end of nearby schools’ rankings. For context, the student–teacher ratio was 12 in 2024–2025, and 51% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, below the nearby-school average of 64%. SchoolDigger’s effectiveness ranking for Female Students was notably higher than the school’s overall ranking: the 89th percentile versus the 57th. Its ranking for Low Socio Economic Status Students also rose sharply, from the 41st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 68th in 2024–2025. Grade-level comparisons offer a clearer picture than all-grades comparisons because nearby schools generally serve fewer grades.

300

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,037

Per pupil spending ?

50.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

91.8%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

125 State Highway 146 W
Golconda, IL 62938-4203

(618) 683-4011

District: Pope County CUD 1

Students who attend Pope County Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Pope County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.3%

Two or more races:

5.0%

Hispanic:

2.3%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Pope County Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 33 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Illinois median (57th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 14 pts below the Illinois average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg44%

Illinois avg49%

Elementary school

746^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 33 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

577^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 37% (2016) to bottom 49% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

392^nd of 738Pope County CUD 1 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
2026	55.5	746 of 1737	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.9	907 of 2056	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.7	1157 of 2067	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.5	955 of 2077	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.6	1186 of 2082	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.9	978 of 1948	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	1282 of 2086	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	1351 of 2037	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.4	1301 of 2044	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	25.5	1556 of 2046	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.4	1518 of 2052	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	52.1	1046 of 2093	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	37.3	1455 of 2167	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.4	1616 of 2166	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.2	1520 of 2147	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.3	1493 of 2139	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.7	1304 of 2120	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.9	1349 of 2092	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	59.4	1051 of 2095	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.8	1288 of 2086	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	46.0	1313 of 2022	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	23.9	1669 of 2030	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	37.9	1422 of 2020	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	82.7	143 of 1286	88.9%	★★★★☆
2025	62.9	691 of 1942	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.5	1138 of 1942	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	1067 of 1957	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	1274 of 1970	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.1	1083 of 1680	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.7	1357 of 2019	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.8	1171 of 1964	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	578 of 1800	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.9	1063 of 1793	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.3	657 of 1808	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.4	861 of 1763	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.3	347 of 1514	77.1%	★★★★☆
2019	50.9	798 of 1816	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.0	1083 of 1765	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	48.5	981 of 1947	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	1040 of 1959	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.3	736 of 1984	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.9	922 of 1977	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.9	695 of 1707	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.1	1103 of 2019	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.6	1368 of 1972	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	695 of 1149	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.7	1015 of 1389	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	1203 of 1392	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	1090 of 1419	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.2	1241 of 1425	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	1006 of 1308	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	1275 of 1462	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	1292 of 1463	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	577 of 1126	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.1	785 of 1368	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.1	728 of 1363	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.2	813 of 1367	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.2	550 of 1369	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.5	631 of 1241	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.3	701 of 1356	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.0	659 of 1293	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.3	582 of 1293	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	35.1	812 of 1294	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.0	823 of 1302	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.0	925 of 1322	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	24.6	1088 of 1367	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	15.7	1212 of 1365	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.6	1155 of 1344	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.8	925 of 1327	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.5	931 of 1318	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.1	931 of 1293	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	35.8	932 of 1287	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.7	907 of 1272	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	65.4	494 of 1209	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	30.9	884 of 1204	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	52.1	644 of 1185	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	830 of 1248	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	684 of 1251	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.0	738 of 1275	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.5	690 of 1286	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.9	680 of 1017	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.1	610 of 1276	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.8	550 of 1226	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	843 of 1229	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.7	718 of 1219	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	713 of 1234	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.9	373 of 1221	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.0	504 of 1019	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.3	567 of 1217	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	576 of 1161	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	47.3	609 of 1271	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.7	666 of 1264	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.9	767 of 1292	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.7	436 of 1286	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.3	469 of 1048	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.4	792 of 1296	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	750 of 1223	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	593 of 754	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	783 of 884	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	715 of 875	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	753 of 895	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.8	582 of 898	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.5	574 of 813	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	695 of 905	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	671 of 889	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Female (2026)89th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)50th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)40th percentile-18 vs school

Middle school

Male (2025)52nd percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)33rd percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)21st percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts66%+10 vs state

Mathematics40%~ state avg

Science35%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pope County Elementary 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
Pope County Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	125 State Highway 146 W	Golconda	62938	Pope County	Pope County CUD 1	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 683-4011	300	25	12.0	50.7%	277 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)	55.5	746^th of 1737 public elementary schools	57.1%		54.9	907^th of 2056 public elementary schools	55.9%	161	30.3	40.5	76.9	76.9	54.5	47.8	63.2	75.7	66.5	69.2	65.4	30.3			37.8	39.6	91.8%		$15,037	$1,057	$13,980
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	K-6	4915 Jefferson School Rd	Metropolis	62960	Massac County	Massac UD 1	No	(n/a)	No	No	(618) 524-4390	114	10	11.6	46.5%	102 (89.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)	90	123^rd of 1737 public elementary schools	92.9%		96.1	41^st of 2056 public elementary schools	98.0%	82	78.6		63.2	88.9	71.4	89.5			78.6	84.2	83.3	71.4	73.7			78.6	85.7%		$15,556	$1,260	$14,296
Hardin County Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4 School Rd	Elizabethtown	62931	Hardin County	Hardin County CUSD 1	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 287-2411	216	20	10.5	66.7%	194 (89.8%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.2%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	68.2	511^th of 1737 public elementary schools	70.6%		53.4	937^th of 2056 public elementary schools	54.4%	426	53.8		75.0	63.4	73.1				69.9	55.6						34.6	100%		$16,223	$2,698	$13,525
Unity Elementary School	Public	K-6	6846 Unity School Rd	Brookport	62910	Massac County	Massac UD 1	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 564-2582	128	10	13.1	53.1%	115 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.3%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.3%)	82.1	264^th of 1737 public elementary schools	84.8%		75	497^th of 2056 public elementary schools	75.8%	233	72.2		59.1	68.4	88.9	92.9			75.3	68.2		61.1				60.3	88.9%		$15,556	$1,260	$14,296
Brookport Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	319 Ferry St	Brookport	62910	Massac County	Massac UD 1	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 564-2482	151	17	9.0	84.1%	112 (74.2%)	14 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (15.9%)	79.9	302^nd of 1737 public elementary schools	82.6%		76.8	463^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	77.5%	161	70.6			66.7	66.7	76.2			69.9	76.9	71.4					54.8	84.9%		$15,558	$1,260	$14,298
Franklin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1006 Mount Mission Rd	Metropolis	62960	Massac County	Massac UD 1	No	(n/a)	No	No	(618) 524-2243	155	11	13.7	47.7%	136 (87.7%)	4 (2.6%)	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.1%)	90	125^th of 1737 public elementary schools	92.8%		86.7	252^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	87.7%	127	75.0		68.0	90.0	75.0	82.4			77.9	84.0	85.0	66.7	70.6			76.7	79.6%		$15,556	$1,260	$14,296
Metropolis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1015 Filmore St	Metropolis	62960	Massac County	Massac UD 1	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 524-4821	457	38	12.0	82.7%	318 (69.6%)	65 (14.2%)	33 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.0%)	48.3	862^nd of 1737 public elementary schools	50.4%		59.5	821^st of 2056 public elementary schools	60.1%	41	37.5		66.2	63.9	58.3	61.3			62.8	66.2	39.3	41.7	19.4			42.3	85.9%		$16,557	$1,260	$15,297

Frequently Asked Questions about Pope County Elementary School

How many students attend Pope County Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 300 students attended Pope County Elementary School.

Is Pope County Elementary School a good school?

Pope County Elementary School ranks 746^th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Pope County Elementary School?

Students at Pope County Elementary School are 92% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What district is Pope County Elementary School in?

Pope County CUD 1

What schools do graduates of Pope County Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Pope County Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Pope County High School

Rate Pope County Elementary School!

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Schools in Golconda, IL

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataOct 30, 2026

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

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 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.