Summary:
The 14 schools serving zip code 61761 are in Normal and include eight elementary, three middle, and three high schools, all in McLean County Unified School District 5. In 2025–26, elementary schools averaged 51% in ELA and 35% in math, below state averages of 56% and 40%; middle schools averaged above the state in ELA and science, but below it in math. High-school graduation rates were above the state rate, while chronic absenteeism was notably higher. The most important takeaway is that results vary widely—especially among elementary schools—so area-wide averages hide substantial differences between schools.
Grove led elementary ELA at 76%, and Prairieland led math at 60%; at the other end, Sugar Creek scored 34% in ELA and 19% in math. The gap from the top to the bottom elementary school was 42 percentage points in ELA and 41 in math. Among middle schools, Chiddix led ELA at 67% and eighth-grade science at 71%, while no middle school reached the state math rate. Of the two high schools with reported ACT scores, Normal Community led Normal Community West in ELA, math, and science. SchoolDigger’s 2025–26 rankings also place Normal Community at the 82nd percentile, Prairieland at the 80th, and Grove at the 79th; Oakdale is at the 20th percentile.
Recent trends also differ by level: elementary ELA rose just 1 percentage point from 2024–25 to 2025–26 while the state rose 3, and elementary math fell 3 points as the state gained 1. Middle-school ELA rose 10 points, moving from below the state average to above it; middle math rose 3 points but remained below state. Income figures are context, not an explanation: in 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 15% at Grove and 65% at Oakdale, whose results were also very different. High schools show another contrast: graduation rates were 91% at Normal Community and 93% at West, versus 90% statewide, while chronic absenteeism was 33% and 35%, respectively, compared with 24% statewide.
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