Carrollton Grade School, Carrollton IL

Original Research by School Decision on Carrollton Grade School

Carrollton Grade School serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in a small county-seat town in rural west-central Illinois. The school enrolls a small student body across all grades, with the largest classes in the earlier grades. The enrollment is overwhelmingly white, with a small Hispanic population and a few students of two or more races. Information on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner status was not available. The school sits on Fourth Street in Carrollton, a walkable historic town built around a courthouse square, where most residents own their homes and the local economy centers on county government, healthcare, and small retail.

The school's academic results show weak performance across tested grades and subjects. On the most recent state assessments, proficiency rates in math range from very low in the upper elementary grades to slightly better in third grade. Fourth and fifth grade math results are notably low. English language arts results are similarly stretched, with only eighth grade showing closer to half of students meeting proficiency standards; elsewhere, roughly a third or fewer are proficient. Science testing data is sparse, with fifth grade showing particularly low proficiency and eighth grade closer to mid-range. The school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among the three districts in Greene County.

Students participate in standard core instruction across the tested subjects. The school serves the full grade span from pre-K through eighth, so it does not prepare students for high school directly, though its upper grades feed into the high school as part of the district structure. No information on specialized programs, career pathways, dual-credit offerings, or other enrichment tracks is available in the data provided.

The broader community context is one of stability without growth. Carrollton's population has declined slightly in recent years, and the housing stock is predominantly older, owner-occupied homes from the early-to-mid twentieth century. Housing values are modest relative to state and national benchmarks. The area is quiet, car-dependent, and oriented toward local services rather than a booming job market. Major employers include the county hospital, county government, the school district, and retail. No major population influx or new housing development is underway.

For parents considering this school, the straightforward questions are academic: students here are posting weak state test results, and a parent may want to look into further with the school what instructional strategies or support systems are in place to address that, and what tutoring or remedial services are available. The school is a small, conventional public grade school in a tight-knit rural community where most children walk to class and know their teachers well. It is not a magnet, charter, or choice school. It is where students in Carrollton attend unless their family chooses an alternative. The weak test data suggests academic struggling, not necessarily mismanagement, but it is the central reality to investigate directly with the school before enrolling.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 5%

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 7 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 32 pts below state median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 22 pts below state median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 2 pts above state median

This schoolCarrollton CUSD 1, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.