The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Chauncey H Duker School
Chauncey H Duker School serves fourth and fifth graders in McHenry, a mid-sized Fox River city about 46 miles northwest of Chicago. The school sits in an older suburb with three small downtown districts along the river, a commercial corridor on state highways, and surrounding residential neighborhoods. Housing values in the area have shown modest appreciation; rent has remained relatively stable in the broader county market. The school is a regular public elementary housed within McHenry CCSD 15, which educates students across the city and surrounding areas.
The student body reflects the community's diversity. A substantial majority of students identify as white, with a meaningful representation of Hispanic students making up roughly a quarter of enrollment. Smaller groups of Asian, Black, and multiracial students round out the population. The school serves students across both grades evenly, with roughly equal numbers in fourth and fifth grade. Participation in testing was near or at full enrollment in both grades tested.
On state reading and language arts assessments administered in spring 2025, proficiency climbed between grades. Fourth graders showed a modest proficiency rate, while fifth graders exceeded half of students meeting standards—a meaningful gap showing growth across the grade span. Math proficiency was lower across both grades, with neither grade reaching a third of students at proficiency. Fifth grade science, the one science assessment the elementary grades take in Illinois, showed proficiency in the mid-range. Overall proficiency across the school sits in the bottom quartile when compared to districts in McHenry County.
The school's results warrant attention. A parent may want to look into further with the school what instructional supports are in place in math, where proficiency is particularly low in both grades, and what grade-level progression looks like for students moving into middle school. The fact that reading results improve noticeably from grade four to five suggests the school's elementary program has strengths in literacy development; understanding what is driving that gain and whether it can be replicated in math could be valuable.
Free-and-reduced-price lunch status data was not available, nor was information on the share of students receiving special education or designated as English learners. Staffing, attendance, and discipline data were also not provided. These gaps leave a partial picture of the school's student support ecosystem.
McHenry CCSD 15 underwent a significant structural change recently. In July 2024 the district board voted to close Landmark School, which had operated a unique year-round continuous learning calendar since the mid-1990s and was a school-of-choice option for families across the county. That option is gone; affected students were sent to their home schools beginning the 2025-26 school year. The district is also managing the sale of the Landmark building to offset capital costs—a shift that signals how facility investments will be prioritized in coming years. For families considering a move to McHenry, the loss of Landmark eliminates a choice that existed before.
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