The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Carlock Elem School
Carlock Elementary School is a small public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in a village of modest size in McLean County, Illinois, part of the broader Bloomington-Normal region. The school sits at the center of Carlock village, along with the public library and village hall, in what remains a quiet, car-dependent rural setting despite the village's recent growth trajectory.
The enrollment is small, under conditions of steady renewal. After a period when the district considered closing the school, a series of new residential subdivisions—Stoneman Gardens, Rock Creek, and King's Mill—have added families to the area. The school's composition is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, two or more races, and other groups represented. The school does not publicly report its free-and-reduced-price lunch rate or counts of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent seeking detail on economic or support-service context would need to contact the school directly.
Test performance in 2024-25 shows uneven ground. In English language arts, third-graders attained proficiency at a rate above the median for McLean County schools, and fourth and fifth graders performed well. Mathematics tells a different story. Third and fourth graders showed proficiency below what is typical for the county, while fifth-graders moved closer to the median. Science proficiency in fifth grade was comparable to the lower end of district results. Looking across all tested subjects and grades, Carlock sits below the midpoint among county schools overall. The state assessment switched its performance standards this year, which makes year-to-year comparisons unreliable; the school's prior trajectory is not available in this data.
The school reports full participation in state testing, meaning all students took the assessments. Student absences, discipline, special education staffing, or the profile of teachers are not provided in available sources, and a parent would benefit from asking the school about classroom sizes, student support services and their staffing, and how the school addresses gaps in math fluency and conceptual understanding.
Carlock sits in a village rebuilding itself. The real estate market has recovered from the low point described in earlier federal grant files; homes in the zip code are valued around the Illinois state benchmark and rent-to-income is manageable, aided partly by the region's pull toward Rivian Motors in Normal. The village itself remains distinctly rural and small—civic life runs through the library and school, farmers markets and main street shops are referenced in village framing, and neighbors commute to jobs elsewhere in the Bloomington-Normal area or farther. Middle and high school students travel out of town to schools in Normal.
At the district level, a tax referendum passed in April 2023 and a county sales tax for school facilities passed in April 2025, both pivotal steps that halted planned program cuts and now fund facility and mental health investments. The district completed a major boundary and enrollment study in 2025-2026, with implementation set for fall 2027; Carlock Elementary students are grandfathered and will not be reassigned. This stability is meaningful for families considering the area.
Carlock Elementary offers a traditional elementary curriculum in a village school context. The academic record is mixed and warrants close conversation with the school about reading and mathematics support, instructional approach, and how the school works with families on learning at home. The village itself is small and quiet, suited to families who value proximity to work in Normal or preference for rural setting; it is not a commuting distance to larger town amenities. For families moving to the area or already here, the school is accessible and the recent growth suggests a community in motion, though the strength and trajectory of instruction remain open questions worth exploring directly with the school.
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