The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Meehan Elementary School
Meehan Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Belvidere, a mixed-character small city about 75 miles northwest of Chicago anchored by a historic downtown and shaped by manufacturing. The school enrollment runs around mid-sized for an elementary school, with strong Hispanic representation; more than half the student body identifies as Hispanic, with white students making up roughly two-fifths and smaller proportions of other groups. Free and reduced price lunch eligibility data was not available; English learner and special education enrollment counts were also not provided. The school draws from a community where housing values and rents sit below Illinois state benchmarks but remain stable, reflecting a city in economic flux following the Stellantis plant's closure in early 2023 and the announced reopening in 2027 to build Jeep models.
The latest state assessment results show proficiency rates that warrant attention. In third grade, about two-fifths of students tested met state proficiency in math, with about three in ten meeting it in English language arts. Performance declines substantially in fourth and fifth grade: in math, just over one-quarter of fourth graders and about one-fifth of fifth graders reached proficiency. Fifth grade English language arts proficiency was also low, at just under three in ten. Science results for fifth grade show about one-quarter of students proficient. These results place Meehan in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts across Boone County. A parent may want to look into further what academic supports the school offers to address this proficiency gap and what the school's plans are for instructional improvement in the grades where declines are steepest.
The school does not currently serve sixth grade and above; Meehan's grade band ends at fifth, so state testing data for older grades are not available for reasons reflecting the school's structure rather than assessment gaps.
The district has undertaken material changes in 2025 and 2026 that shape the school environment. Beginning this school year, elementary students must keep phones and electronic devices in lockers all day, a bell-to-bell policy affecting how families communicate with students and how instruction proceeds. More significantly, in April 2026 the school board voted to close Perry Elementary School after this school year ends, a move the district attributed to declining enrollment, the building's age, and long-term maintenance burden. Families at Perry are being reassigned through a lottery to other schools including Meehan or other district options. This closure signals ongoing consolidation pressure across the district from enrollment loss, which touches attendance patterns and school community stability for families in the redistricting area.
Belvidere itself is navigating a turning point. The city thrived around the Stellantis Assembly Plant for decades; the plant's idling in early 2023 eliminated hundreds of jobs and rippled through the local economy. In October 2025, Stellantis announced plans to reopen the plant in 2027 with a major investment to build the Jeep Compass and Cherokee, a development local leaders frame as a major turnaround that is expected to restore thousands of jobs. The city has also launched a downtown façade grant program to spur renovation and pedestrian street life. Housing activity has been slow following a prior construction boom, with new subdivisions like Landmark Crossing and The Preserve resuming building at a cautious pace. For families considering Meehan, the school operates in a community where economic recovery is underway but not yet assured, and where school consolidation reflects real enrollment pressure the district must address.
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