The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 49% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Davie Elem School
Davie Elem is a small elementary school in Anna, a declining Southern Illinois city of about small-town size, serving grades three and four only. The school enrolls a small number of students, drawing almost entirely from the local white population with a handful of students from Black, Hispanic, and Asian backgrounds. A data gap prevents a clear picture of how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch or receive special education or English learner services.
The school administered state assessments (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) in mathematics and English language arts to third and fourth graders in the most recent school year. In third-grade math, the proficiency rate sat in the low-to-mid range. Fourth-grade math performance was somewhat higher, reaching the mid-range. For English language arts, third-grade proficiency was just above the low-to-mid range, while fourth graders matched their math performance. Participation in testing was strong across both grades and subjects.
When compared to other districts in Union County, Davie's overall proficiency index across tested grades and subjects placed it above the midpoint. That positioning reflects solid ground relative to neighbors, though the absolute proficiency numbers reveal that fewer than half of third graders and roughly half of fourth graders met state standards in each subject. The state changed its proficiency cut scores for 2024-25, so historical trend data is not available to show whether performance is climbing, stable, or shifting.
No information is available about the school's graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, staff size, course offerings, or extracurricular programs, reflecting the fact that Davie serves only early elementary grades and thus falls outside many accountability measures designed for higher grades.
Anna itself is a small, historically anchored city with a walkable downtown, modest street life around festivals and civic venues, and a population that has declined over time. The housing market shows home values at a level below the Illinois state benchmark, with an estimated monthly mortgage well below the state average. The local labor base centers on a state mental health facility, the county hospital, schools, and small retail and service businesses. No large new residential development is underway in the city. The school district received no major changes or referenda affecting operations; routine board activity and a prior no-confidence vote in school staff were the only items found.
If you are considering Davie, the key question is fit: it is a small, grade-specific school in a rural town with modest test performance relative to where you might expect proficiency rates to climb. The school serves its local community, and the wider context is a town where population and economic activity have contracted. A parent may want to look into further with the school whether it has addressed the gap between third and fourth-grade results, what support structures exist for students not yet meeting proficiency, and what the trajectory has been over time once comparable data becomes available.
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