The top reported proficiency rate is 13% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Huffman Elem School
Huffman Elementary School serves grades three through five in Cahokia Heights, a residential suburb of St. Louis in St. Clair County. The school enrolls a small cohort of students, with representation split roughly evenly across the three grade levels. The vast majority of the enrollment is Black, reflecting the demographic composition of the community. Detailed information on free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learner status, and special education enrollment was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the share of students receiving support services.
The state testing data from 2024-25 shows proficiency rates that are substantially low across both English language arts and mathematics. In grade three, roughly one in eight students met proficiency on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness in either subject. Grade four saw the steepest challenges, with proficiency in mathematics falling to single digits; ELA proficiency remained around one in nine. Fifth grade fared somewhat better, with ELA proficiency around one in six, though mathematics proficiency stayed in the low single digits. Science testing occurs only in grade five; proficiency there was around one in eleven. All three grades show near-complete test participation, indicating that absences or opt-outs are not driving the results. The pattern across subjects and grade levels is consistent: students are struggling to meet grade-level proficiency benchmarks.
When measured against the three dozen other districts in St. Clair County, Huffman's overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. The school's results are notably below the county median and well below the strongest performers in the region. This places any student currently at Huffman in a peer group where academic proficiency across the board is a systemic challenge, not an isolated grade-level dip.
The school is part of Cahokia CUSD 187, whose signature capital initiative is a new high school building under construction at Camp Jackson Road, set to open in fall 2026. The replacement of a facility with decades-old infrastructure represents a generational facilities upgrade. The district financed the project through lease certificates and accumulated reserves without raising local property taxes or seeking a ballot referendum, which is publicly reported as a deliberate choice to avoid taxpayer burden during a period of community transition. That long-term stability signal may matter to families considering commitment to the district.
Cahokia Heights itself is a modest-income residential suburb dealing with long-term population decline, though it is now at a pivot point following the 2021 merger of three small towns. Housing is inexpensive; median sale prices run well below state and national benchmarks. New affordable housing development has begun at Vivian's Village, anchored by Touchette Regional Hospital, which is one of the region's largest employers. The local retail and employment base centers on health care, food service, and retail rather than professional services or advanced industries. Public transit via MetroBus connects the area to the broader St. Louis region and MetroLink light rail, though the built environment is car-oriented and most daily errands require driving.
For a family considering this school, the picture is straightforward: this is a small elementary with very low academic proficiency across the tested grades, in a district that is making a substantial facilities commitment but operating in an economically challenged area. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to literacy and math instruction, what intervention or tutoring supports exist for students below grade level, and what the district's trajectory and goals are for improving proficiency. The new high school signals institutional investment; whether that translates to elementary-level instruction and results is a separate question worth exploring directly with school leaders.
See more original research from School Decision →