The top reported proficiency rate is 93% in English language arts. The lowest is 70% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lisbon Grade School
Lisbon Grade School is a small public K through 8 elementary and middle school serving the village of Newark in southwestern Kendall County, Illinois. The school enrolls a small cohort of students from kindergarten through eighth grade, with the largest grades in the fourth and sixth grade classes.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of students identifying as Black, Hispanic, or multiracial. Free-and-reduced-price lunch data was not available; enrollment demographics otherwise reflect the rural, stable residential character of Newark itself. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided.
On the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), Lisbon's proficiency rates on math and English language arts vary considerably by grade. In fourth grade, students showed solid performance in ELA at proficiency, while math proficiency sat at a more moderate level. By fifth grade, both subjects improved, with ELA reaching strong performance and math climbing to a respectable level. Seventh grade marked a peak for the school, with both ELA and math proficiency in the strong range. Eighth grade dipped back down in math, though ELA remained solid. Third and sixth grade results were not reported, which may reflect small cohort sizes or grade-level administration patterns. In science, fifth grade showed reasonable proficiency, while eighth grade science fell to a level similar to eighth grade math. The school demonstrated full testing participation across the grades where data appears. These numbers show a school with strength in upper-elementary years and some challenge at the transition to and through middle school, particularly in quantitative reasoning.
The school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades placed it in the top quartile relative to the other six districts in Kendall County. This speaks to solid aggregate performance despite the grade-to-grade fluctuations.
Newark is a quiet, low-density village of under a thousand residents, centered loosely on Illinois Route 71. The housing stock is older single-family homes—bungalows, Colonials, and mid-century split-levels—on generously sized lots, ringed by farmland. The median home value is moderate for the Chicago region and has appreciated at a pace slightly above the state benchmark. The village retains civic anchors including the Charles B. Phillips Public Library and village parks; nearby Kendall County Forest Preserves offer outdoor access. There is no public transit; families rely on personal vehicles. Growth has been slow and stable. Larger regional housing development is occurring in nearby Yorkville and Plano rather than in Newark itself.
Lisbon CCSD 90 is a single-school rural district. No recent district referendums, tax changes, or curriculum shifts were identified in available sources. The district operates a small, locally rooted school within a cohesive community rather than a large multi-building system. Parents looking at Lisbon Grade School should understand they are choosing a small rural elementary and middle school with solid overall performance anchored by a modest peer group, serving a quiet village where daily life centers on family homes and local institutions rather than commercial walkability or density.
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