The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Science. The lowest is 46% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Dee-mack Primary/jr High
Dee-Mack Primary/Jr High serves students from pre-K through grade 8 in Mackinaw, a small village in Tazewell County within the Peoria metro area. The school enrolls a small population of students who are predominantly white; about half are drawn from families with low income. The building sits on Fifth Street downtown, a few blocks from the village Main Street and library, giving the school a central place in civic life.
The most recent state assessment results show mixed academic performance across grade levels and subjects. In third-grade English language arts, students reached proficiency at a rate above the midpoint among Tazewell County districts; third-grade math showed proficiency near the county median. By seventh and eighth grade, the pattern shifts. Seventh-grade English language arts was strong, as was eighth-grade ELA and eighth-grade science. Seventh and eighth-grade math proficiency rates fell notably lower than the tested grades earlier in the school. Results for grades four through six were not reported; the school's structure includes kindergarten through third grade in its primary section and grades seven and eight as a junior high, but grades four through six appear to be housed elsewhere in the district or not included in this school's reporting. A parent may want to clarify with the district where those grade levels attend and how that transition affects continuity for students advancing from third to seventh grade.
Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places this school above the midpoint in the county, a strength in a rural and small-town landscape where resources vary widely. English language arts shows clearer strength than math, and middle school math is a softer area relative to the elementary results available. The school participated fully in state testing; participation rates were either complete or above ninety-five percent in all tested grades.
Enrollment is small for a K-8 building, numbering around four hundred students across the age span. The student body is predominantly white, with fewer than one in twenty students identifying as students of color. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, but the enrollment composition and the village's suburban-rural character suggest economic diversity within the school community.
Mackinaw itself is a place of modest size with a historic small-town feel. The village center clusters shops and eateries along Main Street, and the school's location there connects students to that civic anchor. The surrounding area is low-density, with new residential construction concentrated at Heritage Lake outside the village limits rather than within town. Population has been flat or slowly declining. Housing in the area remains affordable relative to state and national medians, with median listing prices below the state benchmark. The county market shows moderate supply and strong demand, meaning homes move fairly quickly but more inventory is available than in hotter markets.
The district recently completed a significant investment in a new high school sports complex with artificial turf, an eight-lane track, and full amenities. That capital work signals commitment to long-term infrastructure, though it benefits high school students rather than this primary and junior high building directly. The school itself offers no program descriptions in the available data, so a parent would benefit from visiting or contacting the school to learn about enrichment, special services, or academic pathways beyond core instruction.
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