The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Prairie Central Upper Elementary
Prairie Central Upper Elementary serves grades five and six in Forrest, a small rural village in southeastern Livingston County. The school enrolls a modest number of students, with a student body that is predominantly white and includes a small number of Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students. The community and school are not growing; Forrest's population has been essentially flat to slightly declining, with housing stock heavily weighted toward older single-family homes built before the 1960s. The village itself sits at the junction of US 24 and Illinois Route 47, with the school located near the downtown core at Center Street.
The school's academic profile shows proficiency results for grades five and six only, as the school does not serve the lower or higher grades where state testing occurs. In English language arts, sixth-grade students show strength in proficiency, while fifth graders perform moderately. In mathematics, both grades cluster around a similar proficiency level that falls below the ELA results. Science proficiency in grade five is notably lower. The participation rates in both ELA and math are very high, well above the statewide standard. Across the tested subjects and grades where data is available, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among school buildings across the county's districts, which suggests the school is performing above the median performance in its region. It is important to note that state testing data for grades three and four were not available, likely because the school currently serves only grades five and six, so the full academic picture for younger students would require data from another building. Illinois also revised its cut scores for several subjects in the 2024-25 school year, making direct comparison to prior years difficult.
The student body's racial and ethnic composition reflects the broader demographics of rural Livingston County, with white students making up the large majority and smaller shares of Hispanic and multiracial students. Free-and-reduced-price lunch data was not provided, so a parent may want to reach out to the school directly for information about the economic context of the student body.
Forrest itself is quiet and residential in character, with a compact downtown of locally owned businesses, two community banks, farm-related enterprises, and grain handling operations. The everyday texture is one of a place oriented toward agriculture and long-established community institutions rather than rapid growth. The Forrest Public Library, Railroad Park with its museum, and South Park with its recreation facilities are the civic anchors. There is no public transit; families navigate by car via US 24 and state routes, with interstate access at Gilman and Chenoa.
The school sits within the broader Prairie Central CUSD 8 district, which serves multiple towns. Students in Forrest attend Upper Elementary here for grades five and six, then move to Prairie Central Junior High, also located in Forrest, before high school in Fairbury. The district recently passed a significant bond referendum in April 2025 that will consolidate three elementary schools into a single new building in Fairbury, closing the primary schools in Chenoa and Chatsworth. This restructuring addresses the district's aging facilities and reflects the spread of the district across multiple towns. Additionally, a countywide sales tax for school facilities passed at the same time, creating an ongoing revenue stream for facility maintenance and upgrades across all district buildings.
For a family considering this school, the main draw is modest but real: solid performance relative to peers in the county, a small stable enrollment, and a quiet, family-oriented rural community. The academic profile shows strength in reading and writing at the sixth-grade level, though math and science proficiency warrant attention. The setting is remote and car-dependent, and the broader community is not in a growth phase, so families should expect a place anchored in tradition and established social networks rather than new development or an expanding population. A parent may want to look further into the district's plan to consolidate elementary grades in Fairbury and what that might mean for future changes at this building.
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