The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 53% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Washington Attendance Center
Washington Attendance Center is a small public school serving grades four through six in Carmi, Illinois, a rural county-seat town of modest size in southeastern White County. The school sits on the west side of town just off Main Street, within walking distance of Carmi's small downtown.
The school's academic profile shows strength in English language arts and uneven performance in mathematics. In grade four, proficiency in ELA stands above two-thirds of students, and that rate holds or climbs higher through grades five and six, where it reaches its strongest showing. Mathematics tells a different story: fourth-grade proficiency is solid, but it drops to roughly half the class by fifth grade and falls further to a third by sixth grade. Science proficiency at the fifth-grade level tested sits at a middling rate. Across Washington's tested grades, the overall proficiency index places it at the top quartile among the other public schools in White County. State testing data for grade three was not available, likely because grade three falls outside the school's official grade band of four through six.
The enrollment is small, spanning fewer than three hundred students across the three grades served. The school population is predominantly white and reflects the rural, agriculturally rooted character of White County. The student body's racial composition, income status, and English-learner rates could not be determined from available data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the makeup of the student body and any specialized support services available.
Carmi itself is experiencing modest but deliberate community development. The town hosts a historic downtown with walkable blocks, but most residents own single-family homes in a low-density setting. Housing values are well below state and national benchmarks, making homeownership accessible, though the for-sale market is small with few new-construction listings. The Carmi-White County school district has cut property taxes significantly since 2021, though it approved a modest increase in December 2025 citing flat or reduced state and federal funding expectations going forward. One-third of the county sales tax revenue is committed to bond abatement, which reduces property tax bills further. The economic foundation rests on county government, healthcare, education, and convenience-store and food-distribution operations, with limited major industrial employment.
Washington Attendance Center is a neighborhood school serving a defined grade band in a small, tight-knit town. Parents drawn to rural simplicity, modest housing costs, and a school deeply embedded in local community life would find this a natural fit. The mathematics performance trend from grade four to six warrants attention; a parent may want to speak with the school about how math instruction is structured across those grades and what support is in place for students who do not meet proficiency.
See more original research from School Decision →