The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in Science. The lowest is 26% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Perry Elem School
Perry Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Belvidere, a mixed-character small Illinois city roughly 75 miles northwest of Chicago. The school sits in a Midwestern community anchored by its historic downtown core, residential neighborhoods, and the presence of the Stellantis manufacturing plant, whose economic cycles have shaped the region's stability. Downtown Belvidere hosts civic anchors including the Ida Public Library, parks along the Kishwaukee River, and locally landmarked buildings. Retail and services spread along major thoroughfares, with residential areas of older bungalows and ranch homes near downtown transitioning to newer subdivisions at the city edges.
The school's enrollment is about the size typical for a neighborhood elementary school serving these grades, with a notably diverse student body: roughly half the enrollment identifies as Hispanic, with substantial white representation and smaller shares of Black, two-or-more-races, and Asian students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education enrollment were not available, so a parent may want to look into these details directly with the school.
Academic performance on the 2025 Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) shows low proficiency rates across tested grades and subjects. In mathematics, third and fourth grade proficiency was in the mid-to-high-twenties, and fifth grade proficiency reached approximately the same level. In English language arts, third grade proficiency was around one-fifth of tested students, while fourth and fifth grade showed somewhat higher results in the mid-to-high-thirties. Science proficiency in fifth grade was also around one-third. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Boone County. A parent may want to discuss with the school what instructional approaches are in place to strengthen these outcomes and what support systems exist for students below proficiency.
A critical change is pending: the Belvidere District Board of Education voted in April 2026 to close Perry Elementary at the end of the current school year after more than eighty years in operation. Current kindergarten through fourth grade families must rank preferred schools through a district form, and placement will be determined by lottery. Incoming kindergartners from the Perry attendance area will be placed at either Lincoln Elementary or Washington Academy. This closure follows an enrollment decline of nearly a quarter since 2013 and represents a lasting shift in school boundaries and community structure. Families should confirm placement details and timelines directly with the district.
The district implemented a new cell phone policy beginning this school year that requires elementary students to keep devices in lockers all day, a change that alters how families communicate with students during the school day and reflects a shift toward classroom focus.
Housing in the Belvidere area is positioned below state median values but stable, with median home prices reflecting affordability for families seeking moderately priced owner-occupied homes. Rental options are similarly moderate. The Stellantis plant's October 2025 announcement of a billion-dollar reinvestment to reopen in 2027 signals potential economic recovery after the plant's 2023 idling, though the community has experienced previous boom-and-bust cycles tied to that employer.
Perry Elementary is a regular public school, not a charter, magnet, or Title I designated school based on available data. Parents considering this school should verify current enrollment status given the announced closure and confirm placements and transitions well in advance.
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