Western Avenue Elem School, Geneva IL

Original Research by School Decision on Western Avenue Elem School

Western Avenue Elementary is a public K-5 school in Geneva, Illinois, part of Geneva CUSD 304. It serves a small student body in a mid-sized residential community anchored by a walkable downtown with active street life and positioned in the western Chicago suburbs.

The school's test results show a split picture. On the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, Western Avenue students performed strongest in English language arts, where fourth and fifth graders reached proficiency rates comparable to or above the county median. Third-grade reading proficiency was lower. Math results are the area of concern: third-grade math proficiency was at the county median, but fourth and fifth grade math proficiency fell well below the midpoint among Kane County schools. Fifth-grade science proficiency was solid and above the midpoint. The school's overall proficiency index, averaging across all tested subjects and grades, places it above the midpoint relative to other Kane County districts, suggesting that reading strength offsets the math challenge.

The enrollment is small, roughly in line with what a K-5 school of that size typically serves. The student body is predominantly white, with modest representation from Hispanic students and smaller numbers from Asian and multiracial families. Free-and-reduced-price-lunch data were not available. The school does not report counts for special education or English learner populations, so the scope of those services is unclear.

The community context is relevant here. Geneva experienced rapid suburban growth through the mid-2000s but population has been roughly flat or slightly declining since. Recent development focuses on infill and mixed-use housing near downtown rather than large greenfield expansion. Housing values are moderate to upper-moderate for the region. The city sits on a Metra line connecting to Chicago and offers a strong park district with multiple recreation facilities. The school district, however, faces a significant financial headwind: a proposed large residential annexation from Campton Hills—an unincorporated area that does not levy property taxes—would bring new students with no property tax revenue to offset the cost. The district negotiated a developer donation agreement to address this.

A parent considering Western Avenue should look into the math performance trend with the school directly. The contrast between reading and math results warrants understanding whether this reflects curricular focus, staffing, or student need. State assessment data for kindergarten through second grade are not reported because Illinois does not test those grades, so the early reading foundation is not visible in these results. The school's small size creates both intimacy and potential limits on program breadth. A parent may also want to understand how the district's ongoing enrollment projections from the Campton Hills development might affect class sizes and resources over time.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 63% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 59% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 52% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 61% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 73% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 75% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Science

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 65% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

This schoolGeneva CUSD 304, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.