The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kimes Elem School
Kimes Elem School is a regular public school serving preschool through second grade in Streator, a small manufacturing-rooted city in north-central Illinois. The school enrolls a modest population of students, with a student body that is majority white and includes meaningful populations of Hispanic and Black students, alongside smaller numbers of Asian and multiracial children.
The school sits within Streator ESD 44, the local district. Its neighborhood reflects Streator's working-class, historically industrial character: a city built on coal mining and glass production, now a blend of residential areas, a walkable downtown grid around City Park, and lingering manufacturing sites. Major employers include a hospital, heavy-equipment manufacturing, glass container production, and food distribution. The housing market is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, with inventory and price growth modest. Population in Streator has held roughly flat in recent years.
Academic performance on state testing is an area for careful attention. Among districts in LaSalle County, Kimes sits in the bottom quartile on overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In the most recent available assessment data from the middle of the previous decade, third and fourth graders showed proficiency rates in the low range: in math, roughly three in ten third graders and fewer than three in ten fourth graders met proficiency, while in English language arts, results were somewhat higher but still below half of students in both grades. The proficiency index places the school well below the county median. A parent may want to look into current performance with the school directly, since these results are several years old and any school's data can shift with new initiatives, staff, or student composition. The school's participation rate on state tests was strong, indicating consistent engagement with assessment.
Because Kimes serves only the youngest grades—preschool through second—state testing results cover only grades three and four, which feed from this school but are tested at the next level. The school has no graduation rate, attendance data, or discipline records on file, as none of these apply to its grade band. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data and special education and English learner identification counts are not available in the public record for this school.
The school environment is shaped by its early-childhood mission within a small district in a city without major recent residential growth. Enrollment is small enough for a neighborhood school. For families in Streator seeking an elementary pathway in their residential area, Kimes is the local option for these grades. Whether its current academic trajectory fits a family's needs is a conversation worth having directly with school leadership, particularly around any recent initiatives or changes in instruction.
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