The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 49% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Noel Levasseur Elem School
Noel Levasseur Elementary is an early-grades school serving pre-kindergarten through third grade in Bourbonnais, a mid-sized suburban village in Kankakee County within the Chicagoland region. The school serves a student body of roughly a few hundred students, with an enrollment that leans toward the white student population while drawing from a meaningful presence of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial families. The demographic profile reflects a typical early-childhood-to-early-elementary suburban setting in central Illinois.
On state assessment data, the school shows mixed results in the grade where testing is reported. Third-grade students demonstrated about half of their cohort achieving proficiency or above in both math and English language arts on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. The school's overall proficiency index positions it above the midpoint among school proficiency levels in Kankakee County, a credential worth noting given that the district itself had previously lagged national averages but was recently recognized on a national list as having fully recovered academically from the pandemic. The proficiency results are the most concrete academic measure available; state science testing data for the school was either suppressed or unavailable for recent years. Beyond third grade, the school serves only early elementary grades, so state testing does not apply.
Bourbonnais Elementary District 53 is investing in infrastructure across its school buildings. Noel Levasseur received roof replacement, bathroom renovations, and other upgrades funded through bonds approved in recent years, and it is slated for additional health and life safety code improvements funded through bonds issued in 2025. These facility improvements reflect aging buildings and direct ongoing commitments by the district to maintain its physical plant. Parents should be aware that the district has increased its property tax levy request and carries a bond-financed debt structure that homeowners will feel through tax bills.
The village setting offers a defined downtown with walkable character, extensive parks including Perry Farm with paved trails and a children's museum, and the newer Grove entertainment venue. The community has French-Canadian and Catholic institutional roots and markets itself as family-friendly. Local bus service connects residents to broader Chicagoland transit. Housing values are moderate for the region, and the area has seen recent residential development with plans for additional growth. The school's location on West Burns Road places it within a typical suburban residential fabric.
For families seeking an early-grades neighborhood elementary school with solid test performance for its grade band and a district showing recovery momentum, Levasseur offers that profile. A parent may want to discuss directly with the school how it approaches reading and math instruction, given the proficiency rates, and what interventions or support are available for students working below grade level, to understand the school's approach to academic skill gaps during these foundational years.
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