Riddle Elementary School, Mattoon IL

Original Research by School Decision on Riddle Elementary School

Riddle Elementary School is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Mattoon, Illinois, a small Central Illinois city with a mix of single-family ranch homes on generous lots and a working downtown anchored by an Amtrak depot. The school enrolls a small-to-midsize group of students across its grade span.

The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students identifying as two or more races, Hispanic, or Black. Specific counts for free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special populations were not available in the data, so a parent may want to reach out to the school directly to understand the full picture of student need and support services.

On state assessments administered in spring 2025, Riddle's results show mixed performance across tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, third grade achieved proficiency around the midpoint, fourth grade performed better, and fifth grade reached roughly half proficient or above. Math results were weaker: third grade was closer to half proficient, but fourth and fifth grades saw proficiency drop notably, with fewer than one-third of students meeting standards. Fifth grade science proficiency was similarly modest. These results do not reflect a strong baseline of academic mastery. A parent considering this school for their child, particularly in math, may want to ask the building leadership how they are addressing these proficiency gaps and what support structures exist for students working below grade level.

Riddle sits within Mattoon CUSD 2, which in 2022 opened the LIFT Regional Innovation Center, a major district investment in career and technical education for high school students. While that facility does not serve Riddle's elementary grades directly, it signals that the district values workforce pathways and hands-on learning, and such orientation can shape teaching approaches throughout the system. The school itself is located on Western Avenue in the city; Mattoon offers Dial-A-Ride transit service and a school community within a small city marked by stable, affordable housing and a slow-growing local economy anchored by healthcare, retail, farming, and light manufacturing.

Among districts in Coles County, Riddle's overall proficiency index places it above the county median. The school's test participation was complete, indicating strong attendance and engagement on testing days. Missing data on discipline, attendance tracking, staffing, and program-specific offerings mean a parent should ask the school directly about such details as well as how the school approaches reading intervention, math support, and enrichment.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 49% · ▼ 3 pts below district

even with state median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 36% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 31% · ▼ 2 pts below district

even with state median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 42% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 52% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 54% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Science

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 42% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

This schoolMattoon CUSD 2, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.