The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Math. The lowest is 60% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Grace Mcwayne Elementary School
Grace McWayne Elementary is a regular public elementary school serving about a small school for its grade range, from kindergarten through fifth grade, located in Batavia in Kane County. The school sits in a residential area on the west side of the city, embedded in neighborhoods rather than in downtown's walkable core.
On state testing, the school shows a mixed profile across grade levels and subjects. In third-grade math, the school's proficiency is strong. Fourth-grade math drops noticeably. Fifth grade is lower still in math, though fifth-grade English language arts rebounds to a solid level, and fifth-grade science sits at a below-midpoint level. The pattern suggests students beginning their upper-elementary years at Grace McWayne encounter a narrowing of proficiency, particularly in math, even as some regain ground in language arts by fifth grade. Science proficiency is the softest of the three tested subjects. Participation rates across the tests are very high, so these results reflect nearly all enrolled students taking the assessments. The school does not serve grades six and higher, so no state results exist for those grades.
Relative to the other elementary schools in Kane County districts, Grace McWayne's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a strength worth noting. This positioning reflects the solid third-grade math and fifth-grade language arts results offsetting the weaker fourth and fifth grade math figures.
The school's enrollment is small. The student body is predominantly white, with meaningful but smaller shares of students identifying as multiracial or Hispanic, and very small numbers of Asian, Black, and Native American students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learner status, and special education enrollment were not available, so a full picture of economic or language diversity cannot be drawn. The school has substantial capacity across its grades, with some grade levels notably larger than others.
Batavia itself is a historic small city with a revitalized downtown along the Fox River, home to Fermilab and manufacturing employment, but the district has faced a period of fiscal uncertainty. Voters rejected a substantial facilities bond twice, in November 2022 and April 2023, that would have replaced aging elementary buildings including the H.C. Storm School. That failure left many of the district's facility needs unaddressed. Grace McWayne is a more recent building than those flagged for replacement, but families should understand that the district is working within a tightened capital envelope and may face ongoing choices about maintenance and modernization of its school properties.
The area around Grace McWayne is experiencing active residential growth. Several large Pulte Homes subdivisions are under development west of Randall Road, and an affordable-housing project is planned near Clark Island Park, with construction targeted to begin later in 2026. This growth will likely drive elementary enrollment changes in the coming years.
A parent considering Grace McWayne should view it as a school with solid proficiency in early grades and language arts, but a steeper challenge in upper-elementary math where the data suggests attainment drops. The school sits in a growing, demographically white community with ongoing district capital constraints from failed bond referenda. The school's small size may appeal to families seeking a more intimate elementary setting, and its top-quartile standing among Kane County schools is a genuine strength. A parent may want to look further into the school's approach to math instruction, particularly how the transition to fourth grade is supported, to understand what shapes the performance dip the data shows.
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