The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Trico Elementary School
Trico Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in Campbell Hill, a very small rural village in northwestern Jackson County. The school enrolls a modest population of students across its grade bands, with a student body that is predominantly white and includes a meaningful Hispanic population. The area around the school is classified as distant rural, reflecting an agricultural, small-town setting rather than a commercial center. The village itself is roughly half a square mile, strung along Illinois Route 4, and the Trico Community Unit School District operates its schools on a rural campus rather than within a traditional town core.
Academic performance on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness shows mixed results across the tested grades. In English language arts, third grade proficiency stands at about one-third of students, while fourth grade reaches closer to one-half, and fifth grade lands in between. Mathematics proficiency is lower: third grade is at roughly one-quarter, fourth grade at about one-third, and fifth grade at roughly one-fifth. Science proficiency for the one tested grade, fifth, sits near one-third. These proficiency rates place the school below the midpoint when compared to districts across Jackson County. State testing data note that cut scores changed recently, making year-to-year trend comparisons difficult, so a parent may want to look into whether this is part of a longer trajectory or a shift driven by assessment design.
Free-and-reduced-price lunch data and special education or English learner enrollment counts were not available for the school, so the full economic and support landscape remains unclear from the provided information. Enrollment is stable and small by elementary standards, distributed fairly evenly across the grade band, with no missing data suggesting the school operates at full capacity for its setting.
The school itself sits in a district that has recently undergone changes relevant to family life. Trico became a Full-Service Community Schools grantee, bringing federally funded wraparound supports including academic help, mental health programming, and nutrition services into the district through partnerships with local organizations. A mobile health clinic also now operates on the Trico campus several days a week, offering routine healthcare access during the school day. These are genuine conveniences in a rural setting where families otherwise drive significant distances for services. However, the grant funding was disrupted by federal non-continuation notices in late 2025 and only partially restored through a court-confirmed deal in early 2026, so funding stability remains uncertain. A parent considering the school should track the district's progress on grant restoration, as wraparound services could shift or scale back if federal support lapses.
Housing in the Campbell Hill area is affordable relative to national benchmarks, with median home values well below the national average. The rural setting and small community size mean minimal walkability and no downtown shopping or gathering spaces; civic life centers on the school district and the village office. Nearby employment centers and larger commercial services are in Murphysboro and Carbondale, both a drive away. The community itself has shown modest population decline or stability rather than growth.
This is a small rural elementary school with below-midpoint proficiency results in both math and English language arts, situated in a stable but economically constrained community. It fits families seeking an intimate school environment in a rural setting and willing to drive for services, who value the district's recent investment in wraparound and health services despite their uncertain funding future, and who are comfortable with elementary-only outcomes measured against state benchmarks rather than more expansive program options.
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