The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in English language arts. The lowest is 24% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Okaw Valley Middle School
Okaw Valley Middle School serves fifth through eighth grade students in Findlay, a small rural village in Shelby County, Illinois. The school sits on the west side of the village and is one piece of a consolidated district that stretches across two towns: Bethany, which hosts the elementary and high schools, and Findlay, which houses the middle school.
The student body is very small, with roughly equal cohorts across the four grade levels. The composition is overwhelmingly white; other racial and ethnic groups represent a small share of enrollment. Free and reduced price lunch data was not available. Special education and English learner enrollment figures were also not reported.
On state assessments administered in 2024-25, math proficiency is notably uneven across grade levels. In fifth grade, roughly two in five students met the state math standard; proficiency dropped significantly in sixth grade to roughly one in six, remained low in seventh grade at about one in five, and fell further in eighth grade to below one in six. English language arts performance is substantially stronger. Fifth grade proficiency in ELA was just above the midpoint; sixth grade rose to roughly three in five; seventh grade reached roughly three in four; and eighth grade landed at roughly two in three. Science proficiency was roughly one in three for fifth grade and one in four for eighth grade.
Comparing Okaw Valley Middle School to the other districts in Shelby County, overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls below the midpoint of the county's districts. This comparison does not include a graduation rate, since the school does not serve high school grades, and chronic absenteeism data was not available.
Findlay itself is a slow-declining agricultural village with a median home value modestly below the state average. The local economy is anchored in farming and farming-related services, with the Findlay Marina on nearby Lake Shelbyville providing seasonal recreation employment. Most families drive to work; car dependency is the norm. The village downtown is small and compact, and the middle school building sits a few blocks away on Division Street rather than in the downtown core.
The Okaw Valley district has invested in facility upgrades over the past several years. An agricultural complex in Bethany with livestock facilities and science labs has been completed. The district placed a school building bond on a ballot to fund a new gymnasium at the high school, a new entryway at the middle school, climate control upgrades, and new playground equipment at the elementary school. This bond question is material context for families, as its outcome affects tax bills and the physical condition of the school buildings.
A parent considering this school should understand that math proficiency, especially in grades six and above, runs well below grade-level standard and is a soft spot. Reading proficiency is markedly stronger. The school's very small size means limited course breadth and peer diversity. The surrounding community is aging and slowly shrinking, with limited job growth outside agriculture. Housing is affordable relative to state benchmarks. Families should look into the district's math support strategies and the bond referendum outcome with the school directly, since that additional context would help clarify the school's current trajectory and the near-term investment in its physical plant.
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