Summary:
Zip code 61018 has two schools in Dakota Elementary School (pre-K–6) and Dakota Junior Senior High School (grades 7–12), both in Dakota CUSD 201. In 2025–2026, both schools’ all-grades IAR proficiency rates were above state rates in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The high school led in ELA, with 66% proficient versus 61% at the elementary school and 56% statewide; in math, the elementary school led, at 48% versus 44% at the high school and 40% statewide. The most important takeaway is that both schools were above state rates in both subjects, but the stronger school depends on the subject.
Each school has a distinct standout. The high school’s ELA rate was 10 percentage points above the state, while the elementary school’s was 4 points above. In math, the elementary school was 8 points above the state and the high school was 5 points above. Grade-level results show more pronounced strengths: elementary grade 4 math was 59%, 17 points above the state, and high-school grade 7 math was 56%, 17 points above. Grade 10 PreACT Secure is the clearest weak spot: the high school was below state rates in ELA (44% versus 54%), math (32% versus 36%), and science (38% versus 48%); science was 10 points below.
Both schools’ ELA results improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026: up 13 percentage points at the elementary school and 11 at the high school. Math moved less favorably: the elementary school gained 3 points, while the high school fell 2 points. SchoolDigger ranks the elementary school in the 59th percentile and the high school in the 69th; the high school’s percentile has declined from 85th in 2023–2024. As context, in 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible students made up 36% at the elementary school and 30% at the high school; student-teacher ratios were 12.6 and 14.4, respectively. Chronic absenteeism was 8% and 9%, compared with 24% statewide, and the high school graduation rate was 92%, versus 90% statewide.
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