Altamont Grade School, Altamont IL

Original Research by School Decision on Altamont Grade School

Altamont Grade School is a small school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in a compact rural town in Effingham County. The school enrollment is modest, with roughly equal numbers across most grades and slightly more students in the upper elementary and middle grades. The student body is predominantly white, with very small populations of other racial and ethnic groups represented.

State test results show a school where proficiency varies by grade and subject. In English language arts, the school's strongest grades are fifth through eighth, where proficiency rates in the mid- to upper 60s and low 70s suggest solid performance in reading and writing. Third and fourth grade English language arts proficiency is lower, in the high 40s to low 50s. Mathematics presents a steeper challenge. Third grade math proficiency is above the midpoint, but proficiency drops significantly in fourth and sixth grades to around 40 percent, with fifth and seventh grades slightly higher in the low 50s. Eighth grade math proficiency falls notably, to below 30 percent. This pattern suggests that upper middle school students may be facing difficulty with increasingly complex mathematics. Science results are available only for fifth and eighth grades; eighth grade proficiency is around 50 percent, while fifth grade is slightly lower. A parent may want to look into the school's math support and instructional approach in the sixth through eighth grade band, where the trend becomes more pronounced.

The school sits within Altamont, a small blue-collar city where most residents own their homes and manufacturing and agriculture form the backbone of the local economy. The community maintains an active downtown with family-owned businesses and antique shops, and residents report it feels safe to walk around. The city recently invested in housing development through a new subdivision south of town, signaling modest local growth. Home values in the area are below state and national medians, and the mortgage-to-income ratio suggests housing remains relatively affordable for the region. The district recently approved a notable increase in the property tax levy, larger than increases in prior years, which affects families' total cost of living.

Altamont Grade School's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls above the midpoint when compared to other districts in Effingham County, positioning it in the middle tier of local school performance. The school reports full participation rates on state assessments, indicating students are taking the tests. Specific data on free- and reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education services, and English learner enrollment were not available. The school's grade span means it does not have a high school graduation rate. State testing data for social studies was not available, as Illinois does not mandate that assessment in these grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 21 pts above state median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 743%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▲ 6 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 55%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 21 pts above state median

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Science

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 10 pts above state median

This schoolAltamont CUSD 10, 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.