The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Dongola Elementary School
Dongola Elementary School is a small public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in a rural village of declining population in Union County at the southern edge of Illinois. The school enrolls roughly 128 students, with the largest class cohorts in pre-kindergarten and fifth grade and smaller groups in the middle elementary years.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of Hispanic and multiracial students. Data on free- or reduced-price lunch eligibility and English learner enrollment were not available. Special education enrollment numbers were also not provided.
Test results on Illinois state assessments paint a picture of academic challenge. In math, proficiency rates in 2024-25 ranged from roughly seven percent in fourth grade to just under a third in fifth grade, with third grade around a quarter proficient. In English language arts, results are even lower: about six percent in third grade, around twenty percent in fourth grade, and roughly fifty-six percent in fifth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade was under twenty percent. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile among districts in Union County. Student participation in testing was near complete in most grades, though slightly lower in fifth grade. Illinois adjusted proficiency standards in recent years, which can affect year-to-year comparisons, so trend data was not available.
The school serves no grades above fifth, so there is no high school graduation rate to report. Grade six and above testing results are missing because those grades are not part of this elementary building.
Dongola itself is a quiet rural village of roughly three hundred residents, down from higher historical levels, with a steady annual population decline. The village sits at the intersection of old Highway 51 and Interstate 57, with a small commercial core but no major industrial employers. The school is one of the area's institutional anchors, operating as part of a three-school district. Median home values in the village are below state and national averages, and median household income lags the national figure. Housing affordability is reasonable, with estimated monthly mortgage costs modest, though population and economic momentum are both downward. There are no public transportation options for daily commuting; families rely on personal vehicles.
A parent considering this school should understand it as a small, rural elementary program in a place experiencing economic contraction and serving students who are currently testing well below state proficiency standards. The combination of very low math proficiency and extremely low reading proficiency in third and fourth grades is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school, including what support structures or instructional approaches are in place and whether recent changes in state assessment standards explain the gap or reflect underlying instruction concerns. Fifth grade shows considerably stronger performance, especially in reading, which may suggest either grade-level factors or the effects of classroom-level instruction. The school's size and rural setting offer a tight-knit community environment, but the academic foundation in early and middle elementary years appears fragile. No recent district policy changes or strategic initiatives were identified in available sources.
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