The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 53% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Mount Erie Elem School
Mount Erie Elementary School serves a very small, rural village at the southern edge of Illinois with a population of less than a hundred. The school itself enrolls a small group of students in kindergarten through fourth grade, ranging across roughly fifty-seven students total. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with one student identifying as multiracial. The school has not reported the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, nor has it disclosed data on students with individualized education plans or English learners, so a parent looking into those dimensions would need to contact the school directly.
The most recent state assessment results show uneven performance. In third-grade math, students showed proficiency somewhat above the midpoint, while fourth-grade math proficiency dropped considerably lower. In English language arts, third grade fell somewhat below midpoint, but fourth grade showed stronger proficiency. Data for fifth and sixth grade are missing because this school serves only through grade four; students move on to a middle school located roughly fifteen miles away in Cisne when they advance. Participation on the tested assessments was high, suggesting the results are a fair snapshot of how students are performing. The proficiency index across all tested grades and subjects places Mount Erie slightly above the midpoint among schools in Wayne County, a modest position that a parent may want to explore further with the school to understand the school's approach to the grade-to-grade swings and plans for support.
The village itself offers almost no employment and is not growing. Housing in the area is affordable relative to the state benchmark, and the recent housing data suggests homes are moving at pace and holding modest value. Most residents commute out for work. The school building sits on School Drive within the village footprint, and three churches and a small bank branch form the civic anchors. Older siblings will need to travel to Cisne for middle and high school, a fact that shapes the family experience here.
A district-wide change to the K-8 math curriculum (Big Ideas Math) took effect beginning in the current school year, so teachers at Mount Erie and across the district are working with new materials and methods. The district also approved a property-tax increase in December 2025 that falls just under the threshold requiring a public hearing, so homeowners should account for that recurring cost.
This is a small, close-knit elementary school serving a village with limited economic activity and no growth trajectory. It fits families who value a rural, quiet setting and can navigate the expectation that their children will travel to a neighboring town for secondary school.
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