The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Katie Harper-wright Elem
Katie Harper-Wright Elementary is a small public school serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in East St. Louis. The school enrolls roughly a few hundred students, with the largest concentrations in kindergarten and second grade, and very small populations in fifth and sixth grade (likely a few students each, reflecting a transition to another building for older elementary grades). The student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a small number of students from other racial groups. Data on free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility and on special education or English learner enrollment were not available.
State assessment results from the most recent year show math and English language arts proficiency rates in the lower range across grades three and four, the grades where the school has complete testing data. In grade three, about a quarter of students met or exceeded proficiency in both subjects. In grade four, the proficiency rate dropped substantially to single digits in math, with just under a fifth of students meeting proficiency in English language arts. Science assessment results for higher grades were not reported (suppressed in the data, likely due to small test cohorts), which is typical for elementary schools serving only the youngest grades. The school does participate in state testing; participation rates in the grades tested were high.
Katie Harper-Wright sits within the comparison set of districts across St. Clair County. On an overall proficiency index that pools math and English language arts results across tested grades, the school's performance falls in the bottom quartile among county elementary schools. This is meaningful context for parents: the school's academic proficiency levels are notably lower than the median in its county peer group.
East St. Louis itself is a small city with a long history of population decline and economic strain. The housing market shows modest values and rents; homes are affordable relative to national norms, though the local stock is older and vacancy is high. The city's riverfront includes transit access via MetroLink stations, and some targeted redevelopment projects are underway downtown and near the Jackie Joyner-Kersee youth center. The school district has initiated significant changes at the high school level, including a major career and technical education expansion and expanded college-credit pathways, but those do not yet affect elementary students.
The school serves a community with substantial economic and academic challenges. Parents may want to look into the specific instructional approaches, any supplemental support or tutoring the school offers, and how the school is addressing the gaps evident in state test results. The lack of available data on special populations and free-lunch eligibility also means a parent would benefit from asking the school directly about the demographics and support services available to families.
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