Metamora Grade School, Metamora IL

Original Research by School Decision on Metamora Grade School

Metamora Grade School is a combined K-8 building in a small village that sits on the edge of the Peoria metropolitan area in Woodford County. The school serves a compact enrollment across ten grades, from pre-K through eighth, in a single building on East Chatham Street. The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of Hispanic students and even smaller shares of other groups; free-or-reduced-lunch data were not available. This is a rural or small-town school setting where most families likely live within a short drive.

The school's state test results from the most recent year show a mixed academic picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through eight range widely, with a strong fourth-grade cohort performing well, while performance dips in third grade and gradually improves again by seventh grade before declining in eighth. In math, the trend is less consistent: third grade shows solid proficiency, but fourth and fifth grades see a notable drop-off, with fifth grade in particular around the midpoint. Sixth through eighth grades recover somewhat, landing in the mid-to-high range. Science data are available only for fifth and eighth grades; both show proficiency rates that are reasonably strong. The school's overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint relative to the twelve school districts in Woodford County, suggesting competent but not standout performance in the county context. State assessment participation rates were universally high, indicating the school does not face systemic testing barriers.

A significant context affecting the school and the families considering it is a property tax referendum that passed in March 2024. Voters approved an increase to the Education Fund tax rate, the first such raise since before a certain year. District officials had warned that without this increase, the district would face consolidation, larger class sizes, fewer teachers, and cuts to programs. The tax change appears on 2025 bills payable in 2026, so families relocating to Metamora now or in the near future will see this reflected in their property tax obligations. This is a direct, ongoing cost that varies by home value but signals both prior financial strain and the community's willingness to invest in the school.

Metamora itself is a small, growing village with a historic downtown centered on a town square where civic life and some local commerce cluster. The village has been gaining population in recent years while the broader county has declined, driven largely by residential development including newer subdivisions on the outskirts. Housing values in the area are moderate and rising, and the local job base includes health care, education, small manufacturing, and service work; many residents commute to larger employers in Peoria or Bloomington-Normal. The school sits integrated into the village core rather than on a separated campus, which shapes the student environment. For a parent considering this school, the question is less about academic prestige or elite performance and more about whether a small-town, mixed-results school in a community committed to its one PK-8 building aligns with their family's needs and housing situation.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 380%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 26 pts above state median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 35 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 774%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 22 pts above state median

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 6 pts above state median

Science

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 34 pts above state median

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 33 pts above state median

This schoolMetamora CCSD 1, 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.