The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 58% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Newark Elem School
Newark Elementary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade in a small, rural village in southwestern Kendall County. The school enrolled about a hundred students in its most recent year, with the student body predominantly white and a modest Hispanic enrollment. Specific data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, students with IEPs, and English learners was not available.
The school's recent state test results show mixed performance. In English language arts, third graders achieved proficiency above the midpoint for the county's districts, and fourth graders performed notably stronger, placing in the top quartile among county elementary schools. Math results tell a different story. Third-grade math proficiency fell below the county median, while fourth-grade math improved but remained at the median. The school does not serve grades five and above, so no test results exist for higher grades; those students transition to Millbrook Junior High School, which is operated by the same district.
The overall proficiency index across tested grades and subjects places Newark Elementary in the top quartile relative to districts in Kendall County, a meaningful strength for a small rural school. Test participation was complete. It should be noted that Illinois changed its proficiency cut scores for the 2024-25 assessment year, which affects year-to-year comparisons and makes it difficult to measure how performance has shifted from prior years.
The district has implemented a new curriculum across grades one through eight starting in the 2024-25 school year, following 2024 state report card data showing math proficiency below the state average. Parents may want to discuss with the school how the new curriculum is being rolled out in fourth grade and how instruction is being adjusted in response to math results at the third-grade level.
Newark is a quiet, low-density residential village of about a thousand residents surrounded by farmland, with homes ranging from century-old bungalows to split-levels on generous lots. The village center sits along Illinois Route 71 and includes the Village Hall and the Charles B. Phillips Public Library; no fixed-route public transit serves the community. Housing values in the zip code are above the state average for Illinois and near the national benchmark, with median prices reflecting a suburban commuter market. The area has seen modest slow growth, with nearby Kendall County communities like Yorkville and Plano experiencing more active development. Newark's setting is quintessentially rural Illinois, well-suited to families seeking a small-town feel within reach of the Chicago metropolitan area.
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