The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Geff Elem School
Geff Elem School serves a small enrollment of about ninety students in kindergarten through eighth grade in a rural village in southern Illinois. The school is the sole public educational facility in Geff, a very small community in Wayne County near Fairfield. The village itself is overwhelmingly residential, surrounded by farmland, with limited commercial activity and only the school district as an identifiable local employer.
The school's academic performance shows consistent challenges across tested grades and subjects. In mathematics, proficiency rates for tested grades range from low to moderate, with one grade showing proficiency around the midpoint and most others substantially below it. English language arts results are similarly mixed, with proficiency rates varying considerably by grade, from below thirty percent in some years to above fifty percent in sixth grade. Science proficiency in the tested grade sits at a lower point. None of the tested grades in this school reach the upper range of performance seen in other districts within Wayne County; the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in the county.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students identifying as Hispanic or multiracial. Racial demographic data was provided; free-or-reduced-price-lunch participation and English learner enrollment data were not available. The school's enrollment has remained stable at roughly ninety to ninety-four students across recent years, with modest variation in class sizes at each grade level.
State testing data are available for grades three through six in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness for English language arts and mathematics. Science results appear for grade five only. Results for grades seven and eight are not reported, likely reflecting the assessment grade structure rather than low enrollment in those grades, since the school does serve both. Exact student counts and average scale scores were not available.
The housing market in the zipcode is affordable by state and national standards; median home values are well below both the Illinois and national benchmarks, and mortgage affordability is favorable relative to median household income. The community itself appears static in terms of growth and development.
A parent considering this school should be aware of the below-average proficiency results and may want to speak directly with school leadership about instructional strategies, intervention programs, and student support systems, particularly in mathematics where performance is notably low across multiple grades. The school's small size and in-village location offer a familiar, community-based setting for elementary and middle grades, with no alternative public option in the district.
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