Riverton Cusd 14, IL - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Riverton Cusd 14

Riverton CUSD 14 is a small district in Sangamon County that serves pre-kindergarten through grade 12 across three school buildings: an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district operates in what appears to be a rural or small-town setting with modest population density and a housing market reflective of central Illinois, where home values are below the state average and above the national median.

The district's most visible recent initiative is a broad curriculum and instructional shift. Across all grade levels, Riverton has adopted what it calls the "Life Ready" Initiative and a "Portrait of a Graduate" framework, realigning courses and pedagogy around life-ready performance indicators. At the high school, the district is adding new applied-skills electives. Middle grades include new exploratory courses. English language arts has been aligned with the Illinois Literacy Plan. The district is also piloting a competency-based education model designed to allow students who demonstrate mastery in certain areas to reduce workload and time requirements. For families evaluating Riverton, this signals a deliberate shift toward career readiness and practical competency over traditional seat-time progression, a choice that will resonate differently depending on a family's values around college-prep academics versus applied learning.

On state testing, the picture is mixed and warrants parent inquiry. In English language arts, proficiency is uneven across grades. Third and fourth graders show lower proficiency, while performance improves in the upper elementary and middle grades, with eighth grade posting notably higher results. Mathematics proficiency is consistently low across all tested grades, from third grade through eighth, with results well below the district's ELA performance. Science results, where available, fall between math and ELA. Across all three subjects, Riverton's overall proficiency index ranks in the bottom quartile among Sangamon County's districts, a concrete signal that students are not meeting state academic standards at the rate seen in peer districts nearby.

Chronic absenteeism in the district is elevated, also at the bottom quartile for the county, at a level notably higher than the county median. This compounds the academic picture and suggests that attendance and engagement may be barriers worth discussing directly with school staff. Per-pupil spending in Riverton is in the upper range for the county, so resource allocation does not appear to be the constraint.

The district does not yet report a four-year graduation rate in the available data. The enrollment is small for a K-12 district, with roughly balanced class sizes across grades except some variance in the upper high school. The student body is predominantly white, with a Black population of roughly one in eighteen students, a Hispanic population under two percent, and small shares of other racial and ethnic groups. Data on the proportion of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and on English learners and special education enrollment were not available.

Riverton is genuinely trying to reshape how it teaches. The Life Ready framework and competency-based pilots suggest a district rethinking pedagogy, not just content. That matters if you believe in applied learning and real-world readiness. But the state test results say students are not meeting grade-level standards across the board, and chronic absenteeism is a real headwind. A parent considering Riverton should talk with the school about what supports exist for students who are struggling with core academics, what the graduation outcomes actually are, and whether the Life Ready shift is producing gains in real student performance or is still in early stages. The housing market is affordable and appreciating steadily, and the district's small scale can be an asset, but families expecting strong standardized test performance or preparing for highly selective colleges will want to look at the numbers carefully and understand the district's plan for closing the proficiency gap.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

1,239

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 2%

Black 6%

White 86%

Asian 0%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

29%

—

Gr 4

34%

—

Gr 5

37%

—

Gr 6

54%

—

Gr 7

44%

—

Gr 8

49%

—

Math

Gr 3

29%

—

Gr 4

17%

—

Gr 5

20%

—

Gr 6

22%

—

Gr 7

14%

—

Gr 8

—

Science

Gr 5

34%

—

Gr 8

25%

—

Schools in this District

3 schools are officially reported under this district.

Riverton Elem School

Riverton High School

Riverton Middle School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

38%

Grade 3

18%

Grade 4

35%

Grade 5

23%

Grade 6

17%

Grade 7

16%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

36%

Grade 3

33%

Grade 4

53%

Grade 5

54%

Grade 6

46%

Grade 7

60%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

43%

Grade 5

38%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$216,981

Year-over-year change+10.6%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$110K to $332K

vs. state typical0.75x

vs. national typical0.59x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
62707	Springfield	$227K	+10.2%	66.5%
62561	Riverton	$204K	+12.4%	27.6%
62702	Springfield	$110K	+6.8%	4.5%
62684	Sherman	$324K	+7.3%	1.2%
62712	Springfield	$332K	+8.1%	0.3%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,088/mo

Year-over-year change+8.2%

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
62702	Springfield	$1,088	+8.2%	4.5%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,095/mo

Home price / national median income2.6x

Annual rent / national median income15.6%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$7/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$290,210 (+4.9% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.