The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Glenn Elem School
Glenn Elementary sits in Normal, a college town rooted in Illinois State University that has been growing rapidly around manufacturing and emerging industries. The school enrolls a small population of about a quarter-thousand students in kindergarten through fifth grade, drawn from a diverse student body: roughly a third white, nearly a quarter Asian, and substantial shares of Black and Hispanic students, along with a smaller number of multiracial and Native American students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data were not available, so a reader cannot see from this profile what share of Glenn's families qualify for meal support.
On Illinois state assessments in math, Glenn's proficiency rates across third through fifth grade fall in the lower range. In third grade, fewer than two in five students scored at proficient or above on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR); fourth grade was slightly higher, rising to just under half; fifth grade dipped back below two in five. English language arts showed a different pattern: third and fourth grade results sat near or just under half proficient, but fifth grade vaulted to roughly two-thirds proficient, a marked improvement. In science, fifth grade—the only tested grade—showed just under half the students meeting proficiency. All students participated in testing in these grades.
It is important to note that Illinois changed its proficiency cut scores on the IAR beginning in 2024-25, the year these results come from, so direct comparison to prior years is not possible from this data. A parent may want to ask the school directly about longer-term trends or how these results compare to internal progress metrics.
Relative to other elementary schools across McLean County, Glenn's overall proficiency index—a mean of proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades—falls in the bottom quartile. That framing comes from the county's elementary and middle schools; Glenn sits below the county median but above the lowest-performing schools in the comparison group.
The school is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, operated by McLean County Unit 5, which covers the Normal area and surrounding towns. Unit 5 has recently navigated significant funding changes. In April 2023, voters approved a property tax increase after rejecting it earlier; the district used the new revenue to restore programs like junior high athletics, music, extracurriculars, and field trips that had been on the chopping block. In April 2025, McLean County voters approved a county-wide school facilities sales tax expected to generate substantial new revenue annually, distributing to all county districts by enrollment; a third of this revenue goes to property tax relief, and the rest funds facility improvements, school resource officers, and mental health services. Unit 5 is also in the midst of a district-wide enrollment and boundary study that will reshape school assignments across the district beginning in 2027-28, though currently enrolled students would be grandfathered in existing schools.
Glenn Elementary itself is not mentioned as undergoing boundary changes in the proposal publicly reported, so the school's enrollment and attendance area appear stable for now.
Normal's housing market and character matter for families considering Glenn. The town sits directly adjacent to Illinois State's campus, with a walkable, architecturally intact Uptown district offering local shops, restaurants, and civic events around Uptown Circle, plus the recently opened Uptown Station (housing Amtrak, city hall, and regional buses) and the Constitution Trail, a long-distance bike and pedestrian path. Home values in the area are moderate relative to national benchmarks, and rental costs are in the middle range. Growth is accelerating: Rivian's electric vehicle plant has driven rapid hiring, and the town's population has grown from an earlier estimate. Housing supply has strained under this growth, with Bloomington-Normal reportedly needing several thousand additional units to meet demand, though new residential construction has slowed. The Weldon Reserve neighborhood in north Normal reflects the higher-end new housing market with rents well above median.
The broader context is one of genuine community investment. Unit 5's tax referendum success and the county sales tax signal that families locally have backed school funding at the ballot box. Uptown Normal's redevelopment and the arrival of Amtrak and a modern intermodal station have made the town center livelier and more accessible. Rivian's presence brings uncertainty alongside opportunity; the company's Normal headcount is no longer publicly disclosed and may be lower than previous peaks, but the manufacturing foothold remains significant to regional employment.
Glenn is a neighborhood elementary school in a town with civic anchors, growing infrastructure, and diverse families. Its academic results show students who are in the early to middle stages of proficiency gain, particularly strength in grade five language arts but softer performance in math across grades three through five. A parent weighing Glenn should understand that it serves a small, multiethnic population in a place with real walkability and community life, sits within a district that has made recent funding improvements, and sits in a town that is actively reshaping its housing and transportation around growth.
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