The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in English language arts. The lowest is 22% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Prairie Central Jr High School
Prairie Central Junior High School serves seventh and eighth graders in Forrest, a small rural village in southeastern Livingston County. The school has a compact enrollment in a classic junior high setting: mostly seventh and eighth grade students, with a small outlier count in an earlier grade. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students forming a smaller share. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so a reader cannot assess the economic profile of the enrollment from that standard measure.
The most recent state testing data reveals a striking split between English language arts and mathematics. In English, seventh graders reached proficiency at a solid rate, and eighth graders performed similarly. Science in eighth grade also showed mid-range performance. Mathematics, by contrast, was substantially weaker. Seventh grade math proficiency was low, and eighth grade math improved modestly but remained below the English language arts results. Both seventh and eighth grade students took the assessments with full participation. The comparison fact-set positions this school's overall proficiency index in the top quartile among Livingston County districts, which means it performs above the county median despite the math weakness; this positioning reflects strength in reading that more than offsets the math gap.
The data does not include information about the school's course catalog, electives, extracurricular offerings, or student support services such as counseling and special education. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data do not apply to a junior high school.
Forrest itself is a quiet, older village with a railroad-era identity and a flat landscape dominated by agriculture. The village is roughly two miles in area and is navigated almost entirely by car. Housing stock is predominantly pre-1960s single-family homes. The population is essentially flat to slightly declining, with no active residential growth or new subdivisions. Home prices have moved downward year over year, and median sale prices sit well below state benchmarks. The major employers are agricultural infrastructure (grain elevators, feed businesses, farm service co-ops), two community banks, and the school district itself, which operates two school buildings in the village. Civic anchors include a public library and a railroad heritage park downtown.
The broader district, Prairie Central CUSD 8, is undergoing a major consolidation. A bond referendum that passed in April 2025 will consolidate three elementary schools into a single new building in Fairbury, closing the primary schools in Chenoa and Chatsworth. This is a multi-year project that will reshape the geography of the district. A countywide sales tax approved at the same time will provide the district with ongoing facility revenue. For families with elementary-age children, these changes are significant decision points. Students in Forrest who complete eighth grade at this junior high will continue to Prairie Central High School in Fairbury, requiring a commute out of the village.
The math performance at this school may warrant a parent's closer inquiry with staff about the curriculum, instructional approach, and support available to students who are not yet meeting proficiency. The strength in English language arts and science suggests capable instruction overall, but the math results represent a clear soft spot worth understanding in detail before enrollment.
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