The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 52% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Highland Elementary School
Highland Elementary School serves grades three through five in Highland, a small, established Madison County city in the Metro-East region of Illinois, roughly a half hour from the St. Louis metro. The school sits in a town with historic German and Swiss roots, a downtown anchored by the Square and Plaza Park, and surrounding residential neighborhoods of modest apartments and suburban subdivisions. The community is on a steady growth trajectory with recent downtown investment in mixed-use development and new single-family housing, supported by major employers like Trouw Nutrition and St. Joseph's Hospital, along with construction and distribution services tied to proximity to Interstate 70.
The school enrolled about five hundred students across its three grade levels as of the most recent year. The enrollment is overwhelmingly white, with a small representation of students from other backgrounds. Data on free and reduced price lunch eligibility and special education or English learner populations were not available in the records provided.
On Illinois state assessments, Highland Elementary's performance is mixed and grades uneven. In third-grade reading, proficiency reached roughly three-fifths of students. By fourth grade, reading proficiency dropped to about half, and math proficiency fell to just under half. Fifth grade shows stronger reading results, above two-thirds proficient, but math remains just below half. In science, tested only at fifth grade, proficiency was just over half. The school's performance in math, particularly in grades four and five, is a soft spot; a parent may want to ask the school directly about math instruction and whether specific supports or interventions are in place for students not yet meeting grade-level expectations.
When measured against other districts in Madison County, Highland Elementary's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, reflecting the strength of its third-grade and fifth-grade reading results. The school does not serve grades six through eight (those are absent from the school by design), so state testing results for those grades do not apply. Grade six and seven proficiency data are not reported because this is an elementary school building.
The district is undergoing significant change. A new primary school building for pre-K through second grade is under construction, which will consolidate early grades into a modern, unified facility and eliminate the current logistical need for young students to move between buildings for specialists. The district's 2024 property tax levy increased meaningfully from the prior year, a sustained change that affects property tax bills for homeowners and prospective residents. Additionally, Highland High School is moving to a new athletic conference beginning in 2026-27, a change that affects rivalry patterns and travel for student-athletes.
For families considering Highland Elementary, the school offers a neighborhood, small-town setting with a student population drawn primarily from the immediate community. The school's early grades show stronger academic results than upper elementary grades, which may reflect the students it serves or may signal a need for closer investigation. The upcoming primary school construction should improve the infrastructure and consolidated experience for the earliest grades. Parents should discuss directly with the school its approach to mathematics instruction and support, given the lower proficiency rates in grades four and five.
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