The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Wanda Kendall Elem School
Wanda Kendall Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through kindergarten in Watseka, a small county-seat city in eastern Illinois surrounded by farmland. The school enrolls a small cohort, with about equal numbers in pre-K and kindergarten. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller representation of Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students; racial composition data shows one-dimensional demographics. Specific information on students with individual education plans, English learners, or free-and-reduced-price meal eligibility was not available.
The school sits within Iroquois County CUSD 9, which has recently undergone a major structural change. In April 2021, district voters approved a large bond referendum to construct a new consolidated K-12 campus at the high school site in response to repeated flooding at the district's other buildings. The project, funded through a mix of local and federal sources, shifted how the district will operate going forward. The district moved from four separate school buildings to a consolidated model, a decades-long change that affects where children in Watseka attend school and the property tax base that supports it.
Because Wanda Kendall serves only pre-K and kindergarten, state assessment data does not apply to the school itself; those grades are not tested in Illinois. However, the district does report assessment results for third and fourth grade, shown in the comparison data. Those results reflect a meaningful gap: in math, roughly one quarter of third graders and about one in six fourth graders are meeting the state's proficiency standard. In literacy, about half of third graders reach proficiency, but only about a quarter of fourth graders do. When compared against the nine districts in Iroquois County, this school's overall proficiency index places it at the bottom quartile among its county peers. A parent may want to ask the school and district directly about what reading and math instruction looks like in the earliest grades and what steps are being taken to improve attainment in upper elementary.
Watseka itself is a quiet residential city of roughly mid-sized population that has experienced population decline over the past decade. It functions as a county hub, with health care, government, retail, and agriculture as the backbone of employment. The community has a compact, historic downtown on Walnut Street with shops, restaurants, and a farmers market during warmer months, but residential streets away from downtown are car-oriented. Housing is inexpensive relative to other Illinois cities, which draws some buyers from higher-priced metros. The city adopted a Community Revitalization Plan in 2023 and is working on downtown property rehabilitation, including an Opera House restoration project and workforce housing partnerships. A new manufacturing facility opened in 2024, adding jobs to a local economy historically centered on health care and retail. The Watseka Public Library is a civic anchor, and the park system includes Legion Park, Lakeview Park, and Peters Park, with recent improvements to recreational facilities. School property values in the Watseka ZIP code are below both the Illinois and national medians, and estimated monthly mortgage costs remain relatively modest given current interest rates.
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