The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in Science. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Cairo Elementary School
Cairo Elementary School serves prekindergarten through sixth grade in a small town in southern Illinois with a complex economic and social context. The school enrolls a small student body across eight grades, with the largest cohorts in the earliest grades. The student population is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of white students and students of two or more races; Hispanic enrollment is minimal. Data on free- or reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education enrollment were not available.
Academic performance is the most pressing concern for families considering this school. State assessment results from 2024-25 show proficiency rates that are strikingly low across both English language arts and mathematics. In third grade, proficiency in math stands in the low single digits; fourth grade shows zero proficiency in math; fifth grade shows minimal proficiency in both subjects; and sixth grade shows zero proficiency in math. Reading performance is similarly thin: third and fourth grades show proficiency rates in the single digits, and only sixth grade reaches a proficiency rate in the low double digits. Science assessment data for fifth grade (the only grade tested in science at this school) shows proficiency well below what would represent solid achievement. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the three districts in Alexander County, but that reflects a low bar; it means the school is performing better than at least one peer but still represents substantial academic need.
One important note on these results: Illinois changed its proficiency cut scores on state assessments in 2024-25, so direct year-to-year comparison to prior years is not reliable. However, the current snapshot shows a school where the vast majority of students in tested grades are not meeting grade-level standards in core subjects.
Cairo itself is a declining river town at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, historically significant but now facing profound economic contraction. The population has fallen to a fraction of its mid-twentieth-century peak. The downtown along Commercial Avenue is largely vacant, with boarded-up and decaying buildings. Civic anchors like the Cairo Public Library and the Custom House Museum remain, but street life is minimal and daily activity depends almost entirely on driving. Housing values are well below state and national benchmarks, reflecting both the local economy and the housing shortage created when two major public housing complexes were demolished. A 3D-printed housing project broke ground in 2024 to begin addressing this gap. Employment is concentrated in retail, health care, and small local businesses; a planned riverport project with state and federal backing has been repeatedly delayed but is intended eventually to bring hundreds of jobs.
The parent district, Cairo USD 1, recently launched the OneGoal postsecondary-readiness program at the junior-senior high school, embedding a multi-year college and career pathway for students beginning in eleventh grade. For a district where nearly all students are economically disadvantaged, this represents a meaningful curriculum addition, though it applies to high school students, not to Cairo Elementary.
A parent considering Cairo Elementary should understand that the school is located in a community with severe economic constraints and that state test data shows proficiency well below grade-level standards across core subjects. The school's small size and neighborhood location may appeal to some families, but the academic foundation being measured by state assessments is fragile. Whether this reflects staffing challenges, curriculum gaps, or broader community conditions would be worth discussing directly with school leadership, as the data alone does not explain cause.
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