The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Oakdale Elem School
Oakdale Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Normal, a college and manufacturing town about an hour north of Springfield built around Illinois State University. The school sits in a district that has moved decisively to stabilize its budget and capital needs over the last few years after a period of fiscal pressure.
The school's academic results show a pattern worth examining closely. On Illinois state assessments in 2024-25, third grade showed the strongest results, with about half the students meeting proficiency in reading and roughly two-fifths in math. The picture weakens substantially by fourth and fifth grade. In fourth grade, proficiency drops to roughly a quarter in reading and substantially lower in math. By fifth grade, reading proficiency improves slightly to about a third of students, but math proficiency falls to a small fraction of the grade. In science, tested only in fifth grade, about a quarter of students reached proficiency. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what accounts for the grade-to-grade decline and what support structures exist for students not meeting these benchmarks. The school tests all its students and participates fully in state assessments, so there are no participation or incomplete-data concerns.
Among the schools in McLean County, Oakdale's overall proficiency index places it in the lowest tier compared to the other districts in the county, sitting well below the median performance in the regional comparison group.
Oakdale is a roughly mid-sized elementary school drawing from Normal's broader student population. The enrollment reflects the town's diversity. Black students make up a substantial share of the school, followed by white students, with smaller populations of students identifying as Hispanic, two or more races, and Asian. The school does not report data on free-or-reduced-price lunch status, special education enrollment, or English learner status, so a parent interested in understanding the school's support services or the economic circumstances of families attending should inquire directly. The school includes all traditional early elementary grades, creating a full K-5 span typical of neighborhood elementary buildings.
Normal itself is a mixed community centered on Illinois State University and anchored by the redeveloped Uptown district with its shops, restaurants, and civic spaces, including the Uptown Station multimodal transit hub opened a few years ago. The town blends college-town character with a manufacturing presence, including Rivian's electric vehicle plant, which has created hiring and housing demand in recent years. The Constitution Trail, a long-distance bike and pedestrian path, runs through town. Housing in the zip code shows median values moderate by state and national standards, and rents are reasonable, though the housing market has been tight due to Rivian's employment growth and limited new construction keeping up with demand.
The district recently passed two major funding measures. In 2023, voters approved an increase to the education property tax rate, generating additional revenue that averted planned cuts to field trips, athletics, extracurriculars, and music programs. In 2025, the county approved a sales tax for school facilities, mental health services, and resource officers, with revenue split between property tax relief and building improvements. The district also completed a comprehensive boundary and enrollment study in 2025-26 and approved a multiyear plan to adjust school boundaries starting in 2027-28, adding a new early learning center and expanding space for older students, funded through the sales tax rather than property tax increases. Currently enrolled students would be grandfathered into their existing schools, but families planning to move into the district or younger siblings should be aware of coming shifts in attendance zones.
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