Bureau Valley North, Walnut IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Bureau Valley North

Bureau Valley North is a small rural elementary school in Walnut, Illinois, serving the early grades through fifth grade in a consolidated district that spans much of Bureau County. The school is located on Main Street in town, in a setting where agriculture and local manufacturing anchor the community economy.

The school serves a small enrollment that grows from a robust preschool cohort downward through the elementary grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Latino population. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility data was not available, making it difficult to gauge economic need directly, though the surrounding community's real estate market and employment profile suggest a mix of working families and some households at modest means.

In math proficiency on the 2024-2025 Illinois Assessment of Readiness, third grade performed reasonably, while fourth and fifth grades showed weaker results, with each year substantially below proficiency. English language arts tells a different story: third grade matched math at the same level, but fourth grade rose notably higher, while fifth grade fell back to below-proficiency levels in both subjects. In science, fifth-grade proficiency was modest. The school participates fully in state testing with participation rates at full capacity.

When measured against other schools in Bureau County, Bureau Valley North sits in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, a position that reflects both the small-school context and the composition of county comparators. Parents should note that state testing changed its proficiency standards and cut scores this year, so year-to-year comparison is not straightforward.

The school has no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data because it serves only the primary grades. Program offerings, staff composition, and daily attendance patterns were not available in the data reviewed. The school serves as the elementary pathway within Bureau Valley CUSD 340, a district currently undertaking significant capital work at its Manlius campus (including new classrooms and a gymnasium funded by recent bonds), carrying long-term debt while also lowering its tax rate. The former Manlius Elementary building is being demolished, a change that affects bus routing and campus layout for the multi-site district.

Housing in Walnut itself is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, with a mix of older and newer homes and modest appreciation in recent valuations. The village is compact, predominantly residential, and oriented to agriculture and industrial manufacturing. It sits between two major interstate corridors and has commuter rail access, placing it within reach of larger employment and education hubs an hour away.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 68% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 32% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 46% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 61% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 57% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 59% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median

Science

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 51% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median

This schoolBureau Valley CUSD 340, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income30%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income34%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income7%Higher-income41%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income30%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income11%Higher-income32%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income7%Higher-income22%15 pp gap