Ransom Grade School, Ransom IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ransom Grade School

Ransom Grade School is a small rural K-8 public school serving the village of Ransom in southeastern LaSalle County. The school enrolls roughly a hundred students across nine grade levels, with enrollment fairly stable across early grades but notably smaller in the upper grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic population and representation of several other groups. Detailed demographic breakdowns such as free or reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education enrollment were not available in the data.

The village of Ransom itself is very small, occupying about a square mile with a rural character. Population has declined over recent decades and remains modest, making this a deeply rural setting. The school sits at the center of village civic life rather than on a separated campus. Employment in the area is tied chiefly to agriculture, with the FS Grain elevator as a major local operation and the school itself serving as a significant employer. Most other work is in surrounding towns in the Ottawa and Streator area. Housing in the immediate LaSalle County market is affordable relative to national averages, with modest home values and mortgage costs reflecting the rural context.

On state testing, the school shows uneven performance across grades and subjects. In grade three, students meet proficiency in both math and English language arts at rates around the typical midpoint for the county. Grade four shows a sharp drop, particularly in math. By grade seven, math proficiency recovers to around the midpoint; grade eight science is at the county median. Grades five and six lack reported results, possibly reflecting smaller or absent cohorts in those grades. A parent may want to look into these gaps and grade-level transitions directly with the school. The picture overall is one of mixed and variable attainment, sitting below the county median in proficiency index across the tested subjects and grades reported.

No other data on graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, or program offerings was available, which is expected because the school serves only through grade eight and does not have a high school pathway. No recent major changes to the district were identified in publicly available sources.

This is a very small, community-based school in a rural village with slow population decline. It would suit families who value a tight-knit, neighborhood-centered environment and who are rooted in or drawn to rural LaSalle County life. Prospective parents should engage directly with the school on how it addresses the grade-level proficiency variability evident in the testing data, and what instructional supports are in place for students transitioning into the middle grades.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 42%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 3 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

This schoolAllen-Otter Creek CCSD 65, 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.