The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pepper Ridge Elementary School
Pepper Ridge Elementary School is a small, regular public elementary school in Bloomington serving about three hundred students in kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within McLean County USD 5, a district that operates across Bloomington and Normal, covering a region in rapid economic transition from a State Farm insurance headquarters economy toward tech manufacturing as Rivian and Ferrero expand nearby.
The school's academic performance shows considerable weakness, particularly in mathematics and science. In grade three, a little less than two-thirds of students achieved proficiency in math on the state assessment, but performance drops sharply by fourth grade, where fewer than four in ten students met the proficiency bar. In fifth grade, math proficiency falls to less than one-fifth of students. The same downward progression appears in English language arts, where third graders perform in the upper fifties percentagewise but fifth graders decline to lower-forties proficiency. In science at the fifth-grade level, roughly one in three students achieved proficiency. All tested students participated fully in state assessments. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, Pepper Ridge's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other schools in McLean County. A parent may want to look into what the school and district are planning to address these patterns, particularly the significant drop-off from third to fourth grade in mathematics.
The school enrolls a diverse mix of students. About three-fifths are white, while Black and Hispanic students each represent roughly one in six enrollees, with smaller numbers of multiracial and Asian students. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility data was not available, so the economic composition of the student body is unclear from the provided information. Special education and English learner population counts are not reported in the data.
Bloomington itself is a mid-sized white-collar city anchored by State Farm's large office presence, with a historic downtown and expanding civic infrastructure. Housing values in the area are moderate, and the city is in a constrained-growth phase as regional employers expand faster than housing construction can keep pace. The district recently approved significant property-tax-rate increases (in 2023) and a county sales tax on school facilities (in 2025), both aimed at stabilizing and expanding programs and facilities. More immediately relevant to families considering Pepper Ridge: the district is currently implementing a major enrollment and boundary adjustment plan, to take effect beginning in the 2027-28 school year, that will shift student assignments across elementary, junior high, and high school buildings to ease crowding. Current students will be grandfathered in their schools.
Pepper Ridge is not a standout performer by test results, and the progression of declining scores from younger to older grades warrants direct conversation with school leadership about instructional practices, support for students who struggle, and any district interventions underway. The school's location and enrollment makeup make it a neighborhood elementary anchor in Bloomington, but families should weight its academic profile carefully against the district's other elementary options.
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