The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in English language arts. The lowest is 34% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Paw Paw Elem School
Paw Paw Elementary School is a small rural kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school serving a quiet farming village in Lee County, Illinois. The school draws from a population of about a hundred students across the primary grades, with fourth and fifth grade notably smaller than the early grades, reflecting the village's declining enrollment overall.
The school's academic standing shows a split picture. In English language arts, the school is performing respectably. Third-grade students showed proficiency rates above the midpoint for the county, and fourth graders performed even stronger on the state assessment. Math tells a different story. Third-grade math proficiency sits well below what the county's other districts are achieving, and fourth grade dips further. State science testing data for fifth grade was not provided, so readers cannot see how the school is performing in that subject at the grade it serves. The school achieved full participation on the assessments where data was reported, which is a baseline strength.
In comparison with other districts in Lee County, Paw Paw Elementary's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile countywide, a fact worth noting given the challenging demographics and small size. This positioning suggests the school is holding its own relative to larger neighbors, though the variation between English language arts and math suggests uneven instructional strength across subjects.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller numbers of Hispanic and multiracial students. Free-and-reduced-price-lunch eligibility data was not available, so readers cannot determine economic hardship rates at the school. Similarly, counts of students with individualized education plans or English learners were not provided. No information was available about the school's discipline practices, course offerings beyond core academics, staffing levels, or chronic absenteeism.
Paw Paw village itself is contracting. Once home to its own high school, the district now buses high school students roughly fifteen miles to Indian Creek High School in Shabbona under a tuition arrangement. The village is spread out and car-dependent, with a modest downtown centered on Chicago Road. Civic life clusters around the public library and village offices. The local economy rests on farmland and small businesses; the school district itself, with about fifty employees, is among the few institutional employers. Housing values are moderately priced for the region. The village has seen no new residential construction in recent years, and growth is not expected.
The district is undertaking a health and life safety capital project in 2025-2026 to upgrade electrical panels, air handling units, and add air conditioning to sections of the school building, the sort of infrastructure work that reflects deferred maintenance in an aging structure. For families considering the area, the school offers a stable, small-town elementary education in a shrinking community where the only local school choice ends at fifth grade.
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