The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lewis School
Lewis School is a fourth- and fifth-grade building in Carbondale Elementary School District 95, serving a cohesive middle-elementary population of roughly three hundred students on the south side of Carbondale. It is one of four grade-band schools in the district, a recent structural reorganization that means students move buildings as they progress through elementary and middle school rather than staying in one neighborhood school.
The school's academic performance, measured on Illinois state assessments, shows low proficiency across tested subjects. In fourth-grade math, roughly one in seven students reached proficiency. Fifth-grade results were slightly higher in English language arts, where about three in ten students met the standard, but math proficiency remained similarly low. Fifth-grade science proficiency stood at about one in four students. Student participation in testing was very high, with participation rates above ninety-five percent, suggesting the results reflect actual performance rather than testing barriers. When placed against the ten school districts in Jackson County, Lewis School's overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile, indicating substantially lower attainment than most comparable schools in the county.
The student body is racially diverse. About half the school identifies as Black, with roughly a fifth White, a smaller Hispanic population, and smaller shares of Asian students and students of two or more races. The specific share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, nor were counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to look into the school's demographics of economic need and service levels directly with the district.
No information was available on specific programs, curriculum approaches, class sizes, teaching staff credentials, or school climate. The district website and publicly available sources did not surface details on what academic supports the school offers, how it approaches intervention for students below grade level, or what extracurricular offerings are available.
Carbondale itself is a college town dominated by Southern Illinois University, with a walkable historic downtown and a mixed population of students, families, and professionals. The housing market is notably affordable, with prices well below national medians and modest year-over-year appreciation. The city has recently opened a major new multimodal transit station and is making incremental investments in housing policy to support affordability and retention. The broader regional context includes Shawnee National Forest and Giant City State Park, but the city itself is spread out and car-dependent outside the downtown core.
For families considering Lewis School, the key question is academic support: given proficiency levels well below county norms, parents should understand what instructional or intervention resources the school is deploying, what progress the school has made or is making in recent years, and what role class composition and teaching quality play in the current results. A conversation with school leadership about curriculum, reading and math intervention, and family partnership would help clarify the school's specific strengths and where families might need to supplement at home.
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