The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Math. The lowest is 50% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Creston Elem School
Creston Elementary School serves grades kindergarten through eighth in a rural village setting in Ogle County, operating as the sole school in Creston Community Consolidated School District 161. The school sits in a very small, agricultural community along the historic Lincoln Highway, roughly 80 miles west of Chicago. The village itself numbers only a few hundred residents and has a quiet, farm-based character with minimal commercial activity; civic life centers on the school, library, and park district rather than a separate downtown.
The school enrollment is small, totaling about 80 students distributed across all nine grades. The student body is roughly split between white students and Hispanic students, with smaller populations of Black and Asian students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data and English learner counts were not publicly available, so a parent seeking that information would need to contact the school directly.
State testing data for the current school year shows a mixed picture across grade levels and subjects. In mathematics, grade five students performed strongest with most meeting or exceeding state proficiency standards, while grade four performed at roughly two-thirds proficiency and grade eight at about three-fifths. Grade three and six math results were not reported, likely reflecting a change in state assessment protocols. In English language arts, grade eight students performed well, and grade five performed at about three-fifths proficiency, but grade four showed lower performance. Grades three, six, and seven ELA results were not reported for the same reason. Science results were available for grades five and eight only: grade five students showed lower proficiency in science, while grade eight students performed stronger. Across tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile when compared to other districts in Ogle County, though the data is too limited to trend performance or speak to consistency year over year.
The school serves a K-8 structure, which means no high school and thus no graduation rate applies. Data on special education services, English learner support, discipline, attendance, and staffing were not available in public reporting.
Housing in the Creston area is notably affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Typical home values are below the state median, and monthly mortgage estimates are modest. The community has experienced flat or slight population decline over the past several census cycles, with no major new housing developments reported. This is a stable, long-established village with deep agricultural roots rather than a growth corridor.
The school is a traditional public school, not a charter. No special magnet programs or Title I federal designation information were available. Parents seeking more detail on curriculum, extracurricular offerings, class sizes, or the school's specific approach to literacy and math instruction would benefit from contacting the school or district directly, as those details were not covered in available public data.
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