The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Littlejohn Elem School
Littlejohn Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in DeKalb, a university city west of Chicago anchored by Northern Illinois University and a historic downtown along Lincoln Highway. The school sits within DeKalb CUSD 428, a district currently navigating significant structural changes and rising property taxes.
The school's enrollment is small to mid-sized for its grade band, with roughly even distributions across the six grades. The student body is diverse: about half identify as Hispanic, roughly a quarter are white, and substantial shares identify as Black or multiracial. Specific counts for free-or-reduced-price lunch, special education, and English learner enrollment were not available in the data.
State testing results from spring show weak proficiency across grades three through five. In math, third-grade students reached proficiency at roughly the rate of two in five, while fourth and fifth graders fell to three in ten and one in five respectively. English language arts followed a similar pattern, with third grade at about three in ten proficient, fourth at roughly one in three, and fifth at about one in four. Fifth-grade science results were lower still, with about one in five students proficient. Illinois changed its proficiency cut scores for 2024-25, so year-over-year trend comparison is not available. When positioned against other districts in DeKalb County, Littlejohn's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into this further with the school regarding whether these results reflect specific grade-level challenges, recent staffing or curriculum changes, or how the school is supporting students to build toward proficiency.
The broader district context matters here. DeKalb CUSD 428 just saw a countywide sales-tax referendum fail at the ballot, meaning a promised property-tax abatement did not materialize. The district approved a 2025 property-tax levy that is projected to increase typical homeowners' school bills notably in 2026, driven by health-insurance cost increases and loss of state transportation funding. Simultaneously, the district is undertaking "Vision For28," a significant reconfiguration involving a new early-learning center, grade-structure shifts that will move fifth graders into self-contained classroom models at other buildings, and additions to other elementary schools. These are both financial and pedagogical changes that ripple through families' experience.
Housing in the DeKalb area is moderately priced relative to national norms, with home values and rents both stable to slightly rising. The local economy is active, driven by Northern Illinois University, a large Meta data-center campus on the south side, manufacturing and logistics employers, and healthcare. Downtown and the NIU corridor are walkable; most of the city is car-dependent.
Littlejohn is a regular public school with no magnet or charter designation. It appears to be a straightforward neighborhood elementary serving the local community. The gap in state testing results and the district's current financial and structural upheaval are material facts for families to weigh as they consider enrollment or residence in the area.
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