The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in English language arts. The lowest is 59% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lettie Brown Elementary School
Lettie Brown Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Morton, a suburban village in the Peoria metro area known for its pumpkin-canning heritage and car-oriented residential character. The school sits at the northern edge of town on Morton Avenue and draws from a community that has seen modest population growth in recent years, with new residential subdivisions and an aging industrial base.
The school's enrollment is small, under four hundred students, distributed fairly evenly across the seven grades. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller representation of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and counts of students with IEPs or English learner status were not available, so the economic and instructional-support profile of the school remains opaque from the provided records.
In literacy, Lettie Brown shows solid ground across grades three through five. Third-graders reached proficiency rates in the mid-to-high range, with fourth and fifth graders also performing near or just below that band. Sixth grade dips to just under seventy percent proficiency, a noticeable decline that warrants attention. The school recorded very high participation in reading assessments across these grades.
Mathematics tells a more mixed story. Third and fifth graders achieved proficiency at or near eighty percent; fourth graders landed in the mid-to-high seventies. Sixth grade math proficiency fell to just under fifty percent, marking a substantial drop from the upper grades. This pattern—strong performance in grades three through five, then a sharp decline in sixth grade—appears in both subjects and may reflect the academic demands of the upper-elementary transition or the composition of that particular cohort. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand whether the sixth-grade struggle is a consistent trend, a one-year variance, or tied to specific instructional changes.
Science data covers only fifth grade, where proficiency ran in the upper fifties. This limited window makes it hard to assess science instruction across the school's span.
Relative to districts elsewhere in Tazewell County, Lettie Brown's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a position that reflects strength in the elementary grades and carries weight among its peer schools in the region.
The school does not report a graduation rate because it serves only through grade six. State assessment data for grades seven and eight are listed but show no results, reflecting the fact that the school does not serve those grades; they would enroll instead in Morton Junior High.
Morton CUSD 709, the parent district, is undergoing leadership and policy shifts. A new executive director role for curriculum, instruction, technology, and safety took effect in July 2025, consolidating oversight of instructional decisions across the seven-school district. A technology task force has recommended an AI policy, restricted YouTube access in classrooms, required keyboard cases for upper grades, and adjustments to cell-phone rules, changes that would touch daily practice if adopted. Additionally, a one-cent countywide sales tax for schools is on the November ballot and could reshape school funding across Tazewell County if voters approve.
The housing market in Morton is active. Home values have risen modestly over the past year, median listing prices sit in the low-to-mid range for the region, and homes are selling briskly, often within a month. The area attracts families seeking suburban residential life with walkable downtown amenities along Main Street and access to park district facilities. Commutes to Peoria's major employers and schools are short, reinforcing Morton's character as a commuter suburb within the larger metro economy.
Lettie Brown's academic performance in the lower and middle elementary grades is solid, with English language arts consistently outpacing mathematics. The sixth-grade proficiency drops are the school's soft spot and deserve clarity before enrollment. For families drawn to small-town schools with suburban convenience and county-level competitiveness, Lettie Brown fits that profile; the caveat is ensuring the upper-grade transition is well supported.
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