The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elem School
Jefferson Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in Marion, Illinois, and draws from a town positioned in the middle of growth and regional reinvestment. The school sits on a populated campus in a county seat that functions as Southern Illinois's largest retail hub, with a restored downtown town square and a wave of new development underway including a major mixed-use redevelopment of a former mall and multiple affordable housing projects.
The school's enrollment is small for its grade span, with a particularly large prekindergarten cohort. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and Hispanic students; Asian and Native American enrollment is minimal. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about the share of economically disadvantaged students if that is relevant to understanding peer composition.
On state testing, Jefferson shows mixed results across subjects and grades. In third-grade English language arts, proficiency sits in the mid-range; fourth-grade ELA performance dips below that. Fifth-grade ELA rebounds to a stronger level. Math proficiency is highest in third grade, drops substantially in fourth, and recovers somewhat in fifth. Science proficiency in fifth grade falls below the baseline across both subjects tested. Participation rates are universal where tested, which means the results reflect the full student body. These numbers place Jefferson's overall proficiency index in the top quartile among Williamson County school districts, but that standing masks considerable grade-to-grade variability and some concerning dips, particularly in fourth-grade math and fifth-grade science. A parent may want to look into the school's response to these patterns, especially what supports exist for students who are not yet meeting proficiency.
The school reports no state assessment data for grades six, seven, or eight, which is expected because Jefferson's official grade band stops at fifth grade. Some of the enrollment count reflects this upper-boundary situation.
Marion itself is actively developing. The city has launched a major retail and entertainment redevelopment using state STAR bonds, is building over forty new affordable homes through tax-credit funding with construction to begin in early 2026, and is partnering with the high school's building trades program to construct homes in a neighborhood revitalization zone. The housing market in the area is relatively affordable compared to Illinois and national benchmarks, with median home values below the state average and monthly rental costs modest. This context suggests a community in motion, with new families moving in and active municipal investment in housing and commercial revitalization.
The district brief found no parent-relevant changes in Marion CUSD 2 during the recent search window, so the school's strategic direction and recent shifts are not documented in publicly available sources. A parent considering Jefferson should reach out directly to the school to understand any curriculum initiatives, staffing stability, or program priorities that might not be captured in testing data alone.
See more original research from School Decision →