The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cerro Gordo Elem School
Cerro Gordo Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a small rural village in central Illinois. The school has an enrollment of about two hundred forty students spread across seven grades, with the largest cohort in first grade and the smallest in third. The student body is predominantly white, with modest representation of Black and Hispanic students and very small numbers of students of two or more races. No data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, or English learner status was available.
State testing data from spring 2025 shows uneven performance across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, fourth and fifth graders performed substantially stronger, with proficiency in the upper range, while third graders scored much lower. In math, the pattern is reversed: third graders achieved proficiency in about half their grade, but fourth and fifth graders both fell to roughly one-third or lower. Science testing at fifth grade showed proficiency at about four in ten students. Test participation was consistently high across all grades. A parent may want to look into what instruction or support strategies the school is using, since the wide swing between third-grade ELA weakness and fourth-grade ELA strength, or the sharp math decline from grade three to grades four and five, might signal a transition point or curriculum change worth understanding.
In the context of other districts in Piatt County, Cerro Gordo Elementary's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint. The school's academic standing is a mixed picture: some grades and subjects are performing respectably, while others show clear opportunity for improvement.
Cerro Gordo sits in a village of stable, mature character surrounded by farmland about midway between the state capital and the nearest significant urban center. Housing stock is mostly mid-twentieth-century ranch homes and older American Foursquares, with median values well below state and national averages, making it an affordable area for families. The local economy centers on agriculture and small-business commerce; most residents commute for employment, often toward Decatur. The village has three public parks with recreation facilities, a library, and a downtown that sits within the school buildings rather than separate from them—the elementary school is walkable from the village center.
The school district recently passed a building referendum with strong community backing, funding a major addition and renovation at the junior-senior high school that includes new security features, a larger cafeteria, a junior high gym, additional classrooms, and a STEM lab. The project will improve the day-to-day environment for students across the district and will carry a long-term property-tax bond impact for residents.
Cerro Gordo Elementary is a small, neighborhood-anchored school serving a stable rural community. The academic picture is below county median overall, with performance varying notably by grade and subject. Families considering this school should understand both its small-town setting and character and the current academic attainment profile, and may wish to discuss with the school staff how they are addressing the grade-level gaps in performance the test results show.
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