The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Ashmore Elem School
Ashmore Elementary School is a small rural school serving kindergarten through fourth grade in the village of Ashmore, Illinois, part of Charleston CUSD 1. With a student body of around seventy students, it is one of the smallest schools in its grade band. The enrollment is predominantly white, with students of Hispanic background forming a small minority and very few students of other racial and ethnic backgrounds represented.
The school's academic performance reflects measurable challenges. On Illinois state assessments in the most recent school year, third-grade proficiency in math was low, and fourth-grade math proficiency was quite low. Third-grade proficiency in English language arts was also low, while fourth-grade results in ELA were marginally better but still reflect a small portion of students meeting or exceeding state standards. The school does report full participation in state testing, so these results represent the full tested population. It is worth noting that Illinois changed its proficiency cut scores across subjects in this assessment cycle, which makes direct comparison to prior years uncertain; a parent may want to discuss with the school how the school plans to respond to these results and what academic supports are in place.
Among the county's six school districts, this school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint. The testing data available covers only grades three and four; grade five and above do not appear to be served at this school, which aligns with its designation as an elementary school serving only K through 4.
Ashmore itself is a village of a few hundred residents in rural central Illinois, part of the Charleston-Mattoon area. It is a tight-knit, owner-occupied residential community with limited commercial infrastructure, anchored by a small village park and local civic institutions. The housing market is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, with modest home values. Population has been flat to slowly declining in recent years. There is no major private employer in the village; most employment ties extend to the surrounding region. Public transportation is limited to a county dial-a-ride bus service.
The school is embedded in a very small village context, which shapes the environment for families: everything is walkable in scale, social networks are local and long-standing, and the setting is rural rather than suburban or urban. Because Ashmore has no secondary campuses, students transition to schools in Charleston several miles away for middle and high school. A parent considering this school is choosing a small, rural elementary setting with low current proficiency results and would want to understand the school's improvement plans and the supports available to students who are not yet at grade level.
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