The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on East Side Intermediate School
East Side Intermediate School serves grades three through five in Harrisburg, a small county seat in southeastern Illinois shaped by its coal-mining heritage and current role as a gateway to the Shawnee National Forest. The school enrolls a modest population of students, with roughly equal cohorts across its three grade bands. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Black, multiracial, and Hispanic students; free-or-reduced-price-lunch status data was not available.
On the most recent state assessments, East Side shows uneven performance across subjects and grades. In English language arts, students in grade four demonstrate the strongest results, while grade three and grade five performance is noticeably lower. Mathematics performance is weaker: grade three proficiency is below half, grade four drops further, and grade five shows the lowest results of the school. In science, measured in grade five only, proficiency is modest. The school achieved full participation rates on all tested assessments, indicating consistent testing administration. A note on context: Illinois modified cut scores on these assessments in recent years, so direct year-to-year comparisons are not reliable, and the patterns you see reflect current performance against state standards rather than trend data.
Among the districts in Saline County, East Side's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint, meaning it outperforms a few peers in the county but sits below the strongest performers. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data do not apply to an elementary school.
Harrisburg itself is a slowly contracting community. The town's population has declined modestly over recent years as its coal-era peak receded. Housing values remain affordable relative to the nation and state, and the local economy is anchored by health care (the SIH Harrisburg Medical Center), education (Southeastern Illinois College, about an hour away), and retail. The town retains a walkable historic square at its core, though much of daily commerce has shifted to a car-oriented commercial corridor. The housing stock is predominantly older, built in the early 1900s, with limited new residential development.
At the district level, no recent major shifts in curriculum, referendums, or tax policy could be confirmed in publicly available records, so the school's context appears stable rather than in flux.
A parent choosing East Side should understand that the school's strengths lie in its relatively solid positioning within its county peer group and in full testing participation, indicating a standard instructional program. The notable gap is in mathematics proficiency, which declines sharply from grade three to five. A parent may want to discuss with the school what interventions are in place for mathematics support, particularly in the upper elementary grades, and what tutoring or supplemental resources are available. The school operates within an economically modest but stable community where affordability is a real asset but growth and amenity expansion are limited.
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