Original Research by School Decision on Pershing Early Learning Center
Pershing Early Learning Center is a public preschool serving only prekindergarten students in Decatur. Its enrollment is small, drawn almost entirely from within the city and reflective of Decatur's racial and ethnic makeup: more than half the students are Black, a substantial portion are White or identify as two or more races, a smaller share are Hispanic, and a very small number are Asian or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. No students identify as American Indian or Alaska Native.
Because Pershing serves only preschool, state testing data do not apply. The school has no reported graduation rate, chronic absenteeism data, or high school pathway outcomes; these metrics are irrelevant to its mission. Similarly, data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and students with individualized education programs or English learner status were not available in the records accessed. For a preschool program, the absence of these metrics is typical rather than a sign of missing transparency.
The center sits at 300 East Eldorado Street in Decatur, part of Decatur Public Schools District 61. Decatur itself is a mid-sized central Illinois city along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur, economically rooted in agricultural commodity processing and manufacturing—it carries the nickname "Soybean Capital of the World." Archer Daniels Midland, Caterpillar, and regional hospitals are major employers. The city has experienced a gradual population decline over recent years, but the city government has pursued downtown revitalization through its "Limitless Decatur" initiative and a 2023–2025 strategic plan emphasizing redevelopment of anchor sites and conversion of empty downtown spaces to housing and retail. A significant new housing development, the Village at Legacy, began construction in early 2024 on the former United Methodist Children's Home site and is expected to add a substantial number of units over two phases.
The district recently implemented two changes relevant to families considering it. Starting in the 2024–25 school year, all students across all grades are required to store phones, earbuds, smartwatches, and tablets in locked lockers during the entire school day—a bell-to-bell device ban with no lunch carve-out, even at high school. In October 2024, the district also launched a comprehensive strategic planning and master facility plan initiative called Roadmap2030, involving students, staff, community partners, and business leaders. The plan is analyzing the structural condition of all district buildings and whether their current use aligns with future enrollment projections and financial capacity. A final recommendation was scheduled to be presented to the board in May 2025. This multi-year initiative will ultimately shape which buildings remain open, how programs are organized, and how the district allocates capital spending, so it is a development parents considering Decatur Public Schools should monitor.
For families seeking early learning options in Decatur, Pershing Early Learning Center operates as a regular public school preschool. The specifics of its curriculum, teaching approach, hours, enrollment process, and tuition or free-and-reduced-lunch eligibility would be best confirmed directly with the school or the district, as that information was not captured in the available data.
See more original research from School Decision →