The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Tyler Elementary School
Tyler Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in DeKalb, a university town and growing industrial hub in north-central Illinois. The school sits within DeKalb CUSD 428, a district currently navigating significant fiscal and structural changes that directly shape the classroom experience families can expect.
The school's test performance is low across both reading and math. In the most recent state assessments, only a small proportion of third-graders met proficiency standards in math, with slightly higher results in reading. Fourth-grade math proficiency was also low, while fifth-grade math results were particularly weak. Reading performance in fifth grade was similarly modest. Science testing in fifth grade showed comparable low proficiency. All students participated in testing, so these results reflect the full cohort, not a selection artifact. One important note: Illinois changed its test cut scores this year, making direct year-to-year trend comparison uncertain. A parent may want to look into this further with the school and district to understand whether there is recent momentum in any direction and what supports are in place for students not yet proficient.
Tyler's enrollment of roughly two hundred eighty students is small for an elementary school serving all grades K-5. Racially and ethnically, the school is substantially more diverse than the broader county: about half the enrollment is Black, with Hispanic students, white students, and multiracial students each representing a meaningful share, and a small Asian population. The school's free-or-reduced-price lunch participation rate was not reported in the available data, so a parent cannot immediately assess the economic profile from that angle.
The school sits in DeKalb proper, which has moved into a period of substantial residential growth and industrial expansion. New housing starts have accelerated sharply in the past two years, and major employers including Meta's data center and large distribution facilities have localized recently on the south side. The median home value in the 60115 ZIP code is in the mid-range compared to state and national benchmarks, and rents have risen modestly year-over-year. This context matters because the district itself is facing real financial pressure: a countywide school sales-tax referendum failed in November 2024, and the board's 2025 property-tax levy is expected to raise typical homeowner school-tax bills noticeably in 2026 due to state transportation reimbursement cuts and health-insurance cost spikes. These are concrete, lasting cost-of-living factors for families.
At the district level, significant operational changes are underway. Under a "Vision For28" plan, the district is reworking grade structures and buildings, including moving fifth graders into a self-contained two-teacher model at some schools, and constructing or expanding sections at other elementary buildings. A new Early Learning Development Center is planned without a referendum. These shifts reshape pedagogy and attendance zones district-wide, so families should understand where their child would fit and what instructional model the school is moving toward.
Relative to other districts in DeKalb County, Tyler's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile, meaning the school's overall test performance is well below the county median. State assessment results for kindergarten through second grade are not available, as those grades are not tested in Illinois.
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