Summary:
Zip code 61421 has one listed elementary school, Bradford Grade School, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade and enrolling 123 students. With no other listed local elementary schools, the most useful comparison is with Illinois and with Bradford’s own results over time. The clearest finding is that Bradford’s 2025–2026 all-grade proficiency exceeded state results in both subjects: 67% in ELA versus 56% statewide, and 55% in math versus 40%.
Bradford’s strongest results were in third grade, while fifth-grade ELA was a relative weak spot. Third-grade proficiency reached 93% in both ELA and math, exceeding state results by 46 and 44 percentage points, respectively. In fifth grade, ELA proficiency was 50%, 5 points below the state’s 55%; math was 42%, 6 points above the state’s 36%, and science was 50%, 3 points above the state’s 48%. These grade-level results show different strengths across grades, rather than a consistent lead in every subject.
Bradford’s ELA results improved year over year, while math was nearly unchanged and science rose. All-grade ELA increased from 59% in 2024–2025 to 67% in 2025–2026, widening the school’s state lead from 6 to 11 points. Math remained about 55%, and its lead narrowed by 1 point; fifth-grade science rose from 39% to 50%, moving from below to above the state result. SchoolDigger rated Bradford at the 67th percentile with 3 stars in 2025–2026, down from the 80th percentile and 4 stars in 2023–2024. As context, Bradford had a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio and 52% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025; chronic absenteeism was 18% in 2025–2026, below the state’s 24% by 5 percentage points.
Thank you for your feedback!