The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Math. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cypress Elem School
Cypress Elementary School serves prekindergarten through eighth grade in the tiny village of Cypress in southwestern Johnson County, Illinois, where the Cache River wetlands define the landscape. The school enrolls a small number of students across a single building, with a student body that is predominantly white and drawn from the village's rural, low-density residential setting.
State test results from the most recent year show proficiency across a narrow band, with meaningful performance gaps depending on grade and subject. In third grade, proficiency in both math and English language arts sits well below midpoint. Performance in seventh grade math exceeds midpoint, but eighth grade shows weaker results in both math and ELA, with proficiency below what would indicate strong foundational command. Science results at eighth grade are similarly low. The sixth and fifth grade results are not reported, which is typical for some state assessments that do not test all grade levels in every subject. Across the grades where data appears, the school's overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Johnson County, placing it among the lower performers in the county comparison group. Illinois adjusted proficiency benchmarks in recent years, so year-to-year comparisons are not yet possible with this data.
The school's test participation rate is complete or near-complete in the grades tested, suggesting the results reflect actual performance rather than incomplete testing. A parent may want to look into the specific support structures and interventions the school has in place, especially in grades where proficiency remains low, and to understand how the school is addressing gaps in grades three and eight.
Demographically, the school reflects its rural village location. Enrollment is very small and stable across grade levels, with a large share of students from white households and the remainder distributed among other racial and ethnic groups. Free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility data is not publicly available for the school, and the counts for students with individualized education plans and English learners are also not disclosed, so the economic profile of the school community and the scope of special populations the school serves are not visible in this data.
The school sits on Mount Pisgah Road outside the village center, in keeping with Cypress's rural, low-density character. The village itself has experienced a long, slow population decline and has minimal commercial activity, though it is home to the Henry N. Barkhausen Cache River Wetlands Center and sits within the watershed of a significant state natural area and national wildlife refuge. No new housing development has been reported in recent years. For families living in the area, the school is the local educational anchor; families from outside Cypress choosing to send their children here would be making a deliberate choice to use a school well below county-level proficiency benchmarks.
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