The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on South View Upper Elem School
South View Upper Elementary School serves grades five and six in Danville, a small Illinois county-seat city experiencing sustained population decline. The school has an enrollment of roughly mid-sized for its grade band and a student body that is majority Black, with substantial shares of white and multiracial students and smaller populations of Hispanic and Asian students.
The clearest picture emerges from state assessment data. South View's proficiency results in math and English language arts fall well below the midpoint among Vermilion County districts. In grade five, math proficiency sits in the single digits, while English language arts proficiency is in the low twenties. Grade six math proficiency is in the low double digits, and English language arts proficiency is again in the low twenties. Science proficiency, measured in grade five, is similarly low. These results reflect a district-wide struggle with math instruction that Danville CCSD 118 has publicly acknowledged. In early 2024, the school board contracted with an independent math consultant and set an explicit goal of getting half of K-8 students above the 20th percentile in math, signaling an active district-level effort to address the problem. A parent evaluating South View may want to look into the district's implementation of that consultant work and what changes are underway in the school itself.
The state testing data comes with a caveat: Illinois changed its proficiency cut scores for the 2024-25 school year across math, English language arts, and science, making direct year-over-year trend analysis uncertain. Participation rates in tested grades are strong, hovering around the mid-to-high nineties.
Enrollment data by grade shows the school serves roughly equal cohorts in grades five and six, with only a handful of grade seven students, consistent with its designation as an upper elementary rather than middle school. The racial composition breaks down as roughly half Black, a quarter white, about one-sixth multiracial, a small single-digit percentage Hispanic, and less than one percent Asian.
Neither free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility data, special education identification rates, nor English learner enrollment counts were available in the data provided, so the socioeconomic and special-population profile of the school cannot be characterized here.
Danville itself is a working city of modest size, the county seat of Vermilion County, with an economy that has shifted from its historical base in coal and manufacturing toward healthcare, retail, and remaining industrial employment. The city has experienced steep and sustained population loss over decades. Housing values in the area are well below state and national benchmarks, and rental costs are similarly low, reflecting the local economic context. The historic downtown is compact and walkable, anchored by a National Register district of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century commercial buildings. Beyond downtown, the city is car-oriented, with retail strung along major corridors and Interstate 74.
A relevant district-level development for families: Danville CCSD 118 declined to place a countywide school facilities sales tax referendum on the ballot, a measure other Vermilion County districts supported. That means the district forgoes a recurring capital-funding stream that neighbors are using for facilities improvements, bond paydowns, and staff expansion such as school resource officers and mental health professionals. Capital work in D118 continues to rely on existing revenue and reserves. The district has nonetheless undertaken major reinvestment, including a remodel and addition at Northeast Elementary Magnet School whose construction disrupted that school's year-round calendar for two consecutive school years.
South View Upper Elementary's academic profile shows pronounced challenges in foundational math and reading that parents should address directly with school and district leadership. The broader context of the district's engagement with math instruction and capacity planning would help a family understand whether these results reflect stable conditions or active improvement work.
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