Grand Ridge School, Grand Ridge IL

Original Research by School Decision on Grand Ridge School

Grand Ridge School serves kindergarten through eighth grade in a small, mainly residential rural village in LaSalle County. The school's enrollment is modest, with roughly equal numbers of students across grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Demographic data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learners was not available.

The school administered Illinois state tests in English language arts and mathematics across grades three through eight in 2024-25, plus science assessments in grades five and eight. Results show uneven performance across grades and subjects. In ELA, third graders performed solidly, while fourth and fifth graders showed weaker proficiency. Sixth and seventh graders rebounded to stronger results, and eighth graders reached very high proficiency. In mathematics, third graders performed at mid-range levels, but fourth and fifth graders dropped notably. Sixth through eighth grades recovered, with sixth and seventh graders at solid levels and eighth graders also strong. Science proficiency in fifth grade was low, though eighth-grade science showed moderate performance. Students participated fully in state testing across all grades.

When compared to school districts across LaSalle County, Grand Ridge School's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile. This measure averages results across all tested subjects and grades and reflects the school's stronger upper-grade performance lifting the whole picture.

The school is part of Grand Ridge CCSD 95, a single-school rural district. No recent parent-relevant changes to the district, such as referendums, tax changes, or curriculum shifts, were identified in available sources.

Grand Ridge is a compact farm town located between Ottawa and Streator on Illinois Route 23. The population has held roughly steady over recent years. Most residents own their homes. Civic life centers on the village's civic spaces and an annual August Community Festival featuring a parade, tractor show, and outdoor entertainment. The most visible current investment is a renovation of Grand Ridge Park, funded in part by a state grant. The housing market in LaSalle County has remained active, with home values reflecting rural Illinois affordability relative to state and national benchmarks.

The school building sits at 400 West Main Street within the village proper rather than on an outlying campus. A parent may want to look further into how the school addresses the grade-level fluctuation in math proficiency, particularly the notable dips in grades four and five, and what supports exist for students in science. The school is appropriate for families seeking a small-scale, local K-8 environment in a rural setting.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 60%

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 30%

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

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

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 50 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 64%

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

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

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

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 48%

even with state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 48%

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

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 894%

School 94% · District 94%

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 56%

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

This schoolGrand Ridge CCSD 95, 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.