The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 45% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bridgeport Grade School
Bridgeport Grade School serves early learners in a small rural community in southeastern Illinois, housing prekindergarten through third grade in a compact, walkable town center setting on Main Street.
The school drew just under two-thirds of third-grade students to proficiency in math and english language arts on the 2024-25 Illinois Assessment of Readiness. Math proficiency sat just under half, while english language arts proficiency was slightly above. Both subjects show participation at full levels. The school serves only these early grades, so state testing data apply only to third grade; fourth and higher grades do not sit for assessments in Illinois. Testing results for younger grades are not available from the state. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how reading and math instruction are structured in the earlier grades.
The enrolled population of the school is small and predominantly white, with the majority of families owning homes in the surrounding community. Demographic data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and counts of students in special education or learning English were not available. The student body carries some racial and ethnic diversity, though limited; most students come from the immediate area.
Bridgeport sits in a region of long economic decline. The town was built on oil production and railroad commerce in the mid-nineteenth century, with the oil discovery near town making Lawrence County Illinois's top producer for much of the twentieth century. That extractive economy has contracted sharply. Population has drifted downward over decades, with no new housing developments publicly reported. Home values in the zip code are modest relative to state and national benchmarks, and affordability remains relatively reasonable. The unemployment rate in the region sits just above the national average. The surrounding county is very small, with only two public school districts operating within it, limiting school choice within the immediate area.
The school is one component of Red Hill Community Unit School District 10, which also operates a junior and senior high school and an upper-elementary attendance center in the nearby community of Sumner. The district spans a shrinking population base. No significant changes in district operations, referenda, or curriculum have been publicly reported in recent years.
The school's third-grade proficiency results fall above the midpoint among the county's districts on overall proficiency, suggesting performance competitive within the available local context, though absolute proficiency levels remain below typical state norms. Families considering this school should recognize that it sits at the foundation of a small rural district serving a contracting population, with limited resources compared to larger districts, but also serving a stable, predominantly homeowning community where the school is centrally located and embedded in town life rather than isolated on a separate campus.
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