Gifford Grade School, Gifford IL

Original Research by School Decision on Gifford Grade School

Gifford Grade School serves a small, unified community in northeast Champaign County, in what has remained a tight-knit German-heritage village of fewer than a thousand people. The school sits on South Main Street in the center of town, integrated into the village life rather than set apart on a campus, and serves all grades from kindergarten through eighth in a single building with a total enrollment of just over one hundred and fifty students.

The student body is predominantly white, with most families rooted in the area. The enrollment carries a stable, homogeneous peer environment. Data on free or reduced lunch eligibility and English learner or special education populations was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the makeup of support services.

Academic performance shows mixed results that vary noticeably by grade and subject. In elementary grades, proficiency tends to run higher: fourth graders post strong results in both English language arts and math, and third grade performs adequately in reading. By the upper elementary and middle grades, proficiency drops more sharply. Fifth grade shows roughly half the students meeting math standards and a similar share in science; seventh grade math proficiency falls notably lower. Eighth grade bounces back in reading, with most students meeting standards there, though math and science proficiency remain more modest. The overall proficiency index places the school below the midpoint among its county's districts. A parent might ask the school what interventions or supports are in place for students in the grades where performance dips, and whether specific subject areas receive targeted attention.

Housing in the surrounding area is modestly priced relative to the state and national benchmarks, making it an affordable community for families. Most residents own their homes. The village itself is small enough to walk end-to-end, with a Main Street anchored by a bank, a general store, a hardware business, and a few other small enterprises. There is no public transit; families in or near Gifford rely on personal vehicles. The wider Champaign-Urbana labor market is roughly a 15-minute drive away.

The village's defining recent chapter is recovery from an EF-3 tornado in 2013 that destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes and about fifteen businesses. In the years since, new houses were built, the water system was rebuilt with federal grants, and infrastructure projects have continued. Population has held steady in the years following. The school itself sustained damage in that storm but has operated continuously since.

The district information available did not reveal recent curriculum changes, property tax shifts, or major facility initiatives that would shape the parent experience. This single-school district appears stable and locally governed, serving its village without broader structural shifts in the time period searched.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 42%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Science

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

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

This schoolGifford CCSD 188, 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.