Summary:
The 61422 zip code area in Illinois is home to three public schools serving grades K-12: Bushnell-Prairie City Elementary School, Bushnell-Prairie City High School, and Bushnell-Prairie City Junior High School, all part of the Bushnell Prairie City CUSD 170 district. Unfortunately, the data indicates that these schools are consistently underperforming compared to state averages across a range of key metrics.
None of the three schools in the 61422 zip code area stand out as high-performing. All three have significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics than the state average, with the elementary school's 2024-2025 ELA proficiency rate at just 17.8% compared to the state's 53.1%. Chronic absenteeism is also a major issue, with all three schools reporting a rate of 25.4% in 2024-2025, well above the state average. Graduation rates at the high school are slightly below the state average at 89.0%.
Despite relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratios, the schools in this area are not translating those resources into improved academic outcomes. The data suggests systemic challenges within the district that need to be addressed, potentially related to resource allocation, instructional practices, or the socioeconomic factors facing the student population, which has high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients. Without significant improvements, the students in this community will continue to struggle to meet state-level benchmarks for success.
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