The top reported proficiency rate is 89% in English language arts. The lowest is 83% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Tri-valley Elem School
Tri-Valley Elem School is the elementary campus serving pre-kindergarten through third grade in Tri Valley CUSD 3, a small district anchored in Downs, a rural village in southern McLean County within the Bloomington-Normal area. The school enrolls about three hundred students, with the majority in the upper elementary grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and other students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and counts of students with special needs or English learner status was not available.
The school has reported state assessment results for third grade only, the highest grade it serves. In mathematics, third-graders performed well, with most meeting or exceeding proficiency standards. In English language arts, third-grade results were even stronger. Both results reflect students who participated in testing at full rates. Because the school serves only the earliest elementary grades, fourth grade and above assessments do not apply. A parent looking at this school should recognize that only early-grade performance is measured; the picture of student progress through the full elementary span is not available at this single school.
Relative to districts in McLean County, Tri-Valley Elem's third-grade proficiency results place it in the top quartile on a composite proficiency measure. That positioning reflects solid performance among its peer schools locally, though a reader should note that state assessment data are sparse for early grades generally.
Downs itself is a quiet, owner-heavy residential village of low density, with a rural setting rather than walkable street life. Population has been growing in recent years, particularly through new residential construction in the Beecher Trails subdivision, which markets homes to families drawn to the Tri-Valley schools and proximity to Interstate 74. Housing values in the area sit modestly below the state average. The village has a small downtown and minimal commercial activity; it sits in farming country and functions as a quiet residential suburb of the larger Bloomington-Normal area.
The district has entered a building phase. In 2024 voters approved a referendum that is funding a significant reimagining of the high school and expansion of the junior high into a combined 5-8 facility, with a new fifth-grade wing. This growth response reflects rising enrollment across the district. Additionally, in April 2025 McLean County voters approved a county-wide schools facilities sales tax that took effect in July 2025. Tri-Valley committed to dedicating one-third of that revenue to property tax relief for residents and is using the remainder for facility improvements and school safety and mental health investments, including a new school resource officer. These are real, lasting changes to the district's physical footprint and tax environment that shape the choice to enroll.
For a parent considering Tri-Valley Elem specifically, the school offers the early-elementary foundation with demonstrated solid proficiency in reading and math at the third-grade level. The surrounding community is stable, growing modestly, and oriented toward family housing and school quality. Whether this school's size, setting, and grade band fit a family's needs is a matter of fit rather than performance; the available evidence supports that academic fundamentals are sound for the grades tested.
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