The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pine Crest Elementary School
Pine Crest Elementary School serves pre-K through fifth grade in Georgetown, a small city in Vermilion County on the southern edge of the Danville metropolitan area. The school enrolls a small student body drawn mainly from the local area, with a student composition that is predominantly white, a modest multiracial population, and very few students of other racial or ethnic backgrounds. The school sits in a quiet, car-dependent community with a declining population and an aging demographic; most families here are homeowners, and the town is organized around a traditional downtown square rather than sprawling suburbs.
The academic picture at Pine Crest is one that calls for direct conversation with the school. State testing data from 2024-25 show weak proficiency rates across the grades that were tested. In math, third grade showed proficiency around one-third of the cohort, while fourth and fifth grades fell to around one-sixth and one-seventh respectively. English language arts results are mixed: third grade held at about one-third proficient, fourth grade at just under one-third, but fifth grade rose to just over half the grade proficient. Science proficiency in fifth grade was low, around one-sixth. These numbers represent meaningful gaps from state expectations, and a parent considering Pine Crest would want to explore directly with the school what instructional supports exist, whether interventions are in place for students not meeting grade-level benchmarks, and what the school's plan is to move these results upward. The school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among the other districts in Vermilion County, so performance is a genuine area of concern.
It is worth noting that these results come from a recent shift in Illinois assessment scoring standards. The state changed proficiency cut scores, which means year-to-year comparisons are not reliable. Without access to trend data showing whether Pine Crest has been moving in a particular direction, it is difficult to know whether the school is in a recovery phase, holding stable, or declining. This context does not change the current numbers, but it does mean families should ask the school directly about recent momentum and any new initiatives underway.
The school's environment is small and intimate. Enrollment is modest for its grade span, with roughly even distribution across the early grades. All students tested participated in state assessments, indicating strong attendance during testing windows. The broader community is stable but shrinking; Georgetown's population has declined over time and is not experiencing housing growth. Home values in the zip code are relatively modest compared to the state benchmark, and a recent property tax increase approved by the school board in November 2024 will add to the annual household cost of living in the district. A parent moving to this area should factor in this new tax burden as part of the cost of living here.
The town itself offers a walkable downtown core with civic anchors including a public library with recent renovations, parks along the town square, and outdoor recreation areas. Residents are fully car-dependent for commuting and daily life outside the immediate downtown. Georgetown is not a growth area, and families here tend to be long-term residents or those seeking a quiet, rural-feeling small-city setting.
Pine Crest appears to be a school where the academic challenge is plain. This is a place to visit, ask hard questions about instruction and intervention, and understand what the school's specific plan is to raise student achievement. The school and district may well have solutions underway, but the state test results speak to a need for transparency and detail before enrolling a child here.
See more original research from School Decision →