The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Science. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Silas Willard Elem School
Silas Willard Elementary serves kindergarten through fourth grade in Galesburg, a small west-central Illinois city anchored by a rail heritage, Knox College, and a shift toward healthcare and education-based employment. The school sits within Galesburg CUSD 205, which has undertaken a major reconfiguration in recent years, consolidating schools and reorganizing grade bands. Silas Willard itself remains open as a traditional elementary building and receives a mixed academic picture that a parent should examine closely.
The enrollment is roughly in the hundreds across the five grades served. The student body reflects Galesburg's demographic makeup: slightly more than half identify as white, with substantial shares of Hispanic and Black students, plus a smaller population identifying as multiracial. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education or English learner populations were not available, so a parent may want to check with the school on those measures.
Academic results on Illinois state assessments in 2024-25 show proficiency rates below the midpoint among Knox County districts. In third-grade mathematics, roughly two out of five students reached proficiency. Fourth-grade math was lower, with about one in three students proficient. Fourth-grade English language arts was modestly higher, with roughly two in five students proficient. Third-grade ELA showed similar results. State testing data for grades five through eight do not appear because Silas Willard ends at fourth grade; those students move into the district's reconfigured 5th/6th grade center at Lombard and later into the new junior-senior high arrangement.
The one science result available is from 2018-19, well before the recent state assessment revision, and shows stronger performance there, but this data point is outdated and not comparable to current math and ELA proficiency. A parent may want to look into what science instruction looks like now and whether updated assessments are available.
Positioned against the other districts serving Knox County, Silas Willard's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. This is a concrete signal that reading and math outcomes here lag peers in the region. That said, the school is participating fully in state testing with strong participation rates, suggesting the data is reliable rather than an artifact of low test-taking.
Galesburg as a place is modest in scale and character: a walkable downtown core along Main Street with cultural amenities, surrounded by working-class residential neighborhoods and a long industrial identity. Housing values are below state average, making the area relatively affordable. The district's capital projects in 2024-25, including a preschool center, gymnasium additions, and field upgrades, signal ongoing investment in facilities. The consolidation of schools in recent years means fewer buildings but potentially longer commutes or different routines for some families.
Silas Willard appears to be a straightforward neighborhood elementary school operating within a district undergoing structural change. The academic data indicates students here are not reaching state proficiency benchmarks at rates comparable to other Knox County schools. This is not a snapshot of a school in rapid improvement, and a parent considering enrollment should have direct conversations with the school about reading and math instruction, supports for struggling learners, and whether the school's approach aligns with their child's needs.
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