The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in English language arts. The lowest is 50% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Southwest Elem School
Southwest Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Geneseo, a small Henry County city with a Victorian downtown and tree-lined residential neighborhoods. The school sits in a community marked by modest but steady housing growth, with new townhome developments and subdivisions filling in over the past 14 years alongside restoration of the historic business district. The region's median home values are below the state benchmark, and the mortgage-to-income ratio is favorable compared to national norms, making housing relatively accessible for the demographic the school serves.
The school enrolls a small student body with a predominantly white composition and a modest share of Hispanic students; nearly all other racial groups represent very small counts. Free-and-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so household economic need cannot be directly assessed from the data provided. The enrollment is relatively stable across grades, with slightly larger cohorts in kindergarten through second grade.
On the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, Southwest's tested grades show proficiency rates that vary significantly by grade and subject. In third grade, students posted proficiency in math and somewhat lower results in English language arts. Fourth grade proficiency drops notably in both subjects. Fifth grade shows a steeper decline, particularly in math, where proficiency falls to less than two-thirds of third-grade levels. English language arts in fifth grade sits in the middle range. In science, fifth-grade proficiency is around half. The school reports full test participation across grades. These results suggest that students' mastery of grade-level content is declining as they progress through the upper elementary years, a pattern a parent may want to explore further with the school to understand whether it reflects instructional challenges, changes in student cohorts, or other factors.
When compared against the other districts in Henry County, Southwest's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint, indicating the school performs better than roughly half the county's districts on average, though below the highest-performing ones in the set. The comparison universe includes nine county districts with data; Southwest sits between the county median and the top performer.
Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade testing results are absent because the school's official grade band is kindergarten through fifth. This is consistent with the school's design as an elementary building.
The Geneseo school district itself has made recent investments that benefit students district-wide. In May 2025, the district dedicated the Ted McAvoy Career and Technical Education Center at the high school, expanding access to carpentry, welding, and other skilled trades pathways. The district also authorized bond financing in January 2025 to increase its working cash fund and refund existing debt, changes that will be reflected in property tax bills. The district has operated with education fund spending near the bottom fifth percentile locally, a reality families weighing enrollment should be aware of when considering resource availability.
The broader community offers walkable downtown amenities, civic anchors including the renovated Geneseo Public Library, parks, and proximity to the Quad Cities labor market about 30 minutes away. The school's neighborhood location within town rather than on a consolidated campus keeps it connected to residential streets and local institutions.
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