The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Clay City Elem School
Clay City Elementary School is a small public elementary school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in a rural village in southeastern Illinois. The school has an enrollment of about one hundred students spread fairly evenly across its grade bands, with slightly larger cohorts in grades two, three, and four.
The village of Clay City itself is a small, declining rural community. Population has drifted downward over the past several years, and the local economy rests on a mix of farming, oil-and-gas production rooted in the historic Clay City Consolidated Oil Field, and small Main Street commerce. The school sits at a central location within the village at 607 South Walnut, placing it within the small town footprint rather than on the outskirts. U.S. Route 50 crosses the southern edge of the village, linking Clay City west to Flora and east to Olney, both of which offer some additional services and employment. The county seat, Louisville, lies about fourteen miles to the northwest.
The school's student body is predominantly white, with a very small multiracial population and no reported students from other racial or ethnic groups. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility data was not available, nor were counts for special education or English learner populations, so readers cannot assess the composition of economically disadvantaged or specialized-need students from the published figures.
State assessment results on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness show proficiency rates that are notably low across tested grades and subjects. In mathematics, third graders achieved proficiency at a rate in the low to mid-range; fourth graders fell to a lower rate; and fifth graders showed a modest recovery but still remained in the low range. In English language arts, third graders performed at a somewhat higher rate than in math, while fourth and fifth graders trended downward. A single science result is available for fifth grade, showing proficiency well below the rates in either core subject. All students participated fully in each tested grade. The school's overall proficiency index, computed across these tested subjects and grades, places it below the midpoint relative to districts in Clay County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what academic supports or interventions are in place and what progress has been made.
Grade six and above showed no reported results. This gap reflects the school's configuration: Clay City Elementary serves only prekindergarten through fifth grade, so sixth grade and higher are served elsewhere in the district.
No information was available regarding the school's specific program offerings, staffing ratios, attendance rates, discipline practices, or school culture and environment. District-level policy changes or strategic initiatives that might shape the school's direction were also not found in available sources. A parent considering this school would benefit from direct contact with the school to discuss curriculum, special programs, class composition, and the school's current priorities and plans for improvement.
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