Original Research by School Decision on La Salle-peru Twp High School
La Salle-Peru Twp High School serves a mixed student body in a small industrial city at the convergence of interstates in north-central Illinois. The school enrolls students across grades nine through twelve in roughly equal cohorts, with a student population that is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and smaller Asian, Black, and multiracial groups. The school is a regular public high school serving its township through District 120.
State testing data and graduation rates are not available for this school in the provided records, which limits what can be said about academic performance or completion trajectories. Without those metrics, a parent would need to contact the school directly or look for recent state reporting to understand proficiency levels and whether students are graduating on track. The school's academic profile otherwise remains thin in the available data.
What the school does have is a significant new curricular direction. The district is launching an agriculture program at L-P High School, including a planned new ag building, a full-time agriculture instructor position, and a dual-credit course offered jointly with Illinois Valley Community College beginning in spring 2025. This is a substantial addition to the school's offering and represents a clear career and technical education pathway that will be available to students entering high school in the coming years. For families with interest in agriculture, trades, or applied science, this is a meaningful development to watch and to discuss with the school as the program matures.
La Salle itself is a small historic city with a compact downtown anchored by 19th-century architecture, the I&M Canal corridor, and independent retail and food businesses. The city sits at the intersection of two major interstates and serves as both a residential community and a modest tourism draw for regional parks and canal heritage. The housing market is modestly priced relative to state and national benchmarks, with home values and rental rates well below state medians. The city's population has remained roughly stable in recent years, though the municipality has pursued active redevelopment through multiple tax-increment financing districts and facade improvement incentives aimed at drawing new residents and families. Major employers include a chemical company, the state veterans' home, and the school itself, along with manufacturing and utility concerns.
Families considering this school should view it as a neighborhood public high school in a small city with affordable housing, walkable historic character, and a new agricultural program pathway in the works. The absence of state assessment and graduation data from this payload means a prospective parent would benefit from reaching out to the school to discuss current academic outcomes, college placement, and what the agriculture program rollout looks like in practice. The school's size is modest for its grade band, and the student composition reflects the city's mix, with a majority white enrollment and a meaningful Hispanic presence.
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