The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Parkside Elementary School
Parkside Elementary School serves early grades in Normal, a college town built around Illinois State University with a strong civic identity and ongoing growth pressures. The school is one of several elementary buildings in McLean County USD 5, a district that has recently secured funding stability and begun a major boundary reorganization.
The current data on academic performance shows results that a parent may want to look into further with the school. In math, third and fourth graders show proficiency rates in a lower range, while fifth graders' proficiency is notably low across the board. English language arts results are mixed: fourth graders fare better than third or fifth graders. Science proficiency in fifth grade is also low. These figures reflect performance measured by Illinois state assessments on a scale where proficiency means meeting levels three or four. The school participated in full testing across all tested grades.
Parkside's enrollment draws from a diverse residential area. The school serves about three hundred students from prekindergarten through fifth grade, with the largest cohorts in kindergarten through fifth grade and a small pre-K group. The student population reflects the broader demographic makeup of Normal: roughly a little more than half the school identifies as white, with meaningful shares of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The school does not have publicly reported data on free- or reduced-price-lunch eligibility, on students receiving special education services, or on English learner enrollment, so a parent interested in the school's support structures for low-income students or multilingual learners may want to inquire directly with the building.
Normal itself is a mixed-use town where the redeveloped downtown (Uptown Normal) sits directly adjacent to Illinois State University and combines shops, restaurants, and civic uses. The Constitution Trail, a long-distance bike path, connects Normal to Bloomington. The town has been growing, driven partly by Rivian's electric vehicle plant and Illinois State's presence, though housing supply has not kept pace with demand. Median home values are below the state benchmark, and rents remain moderate compared to national norms, making the market relatively accessible, though housing completion has lagged supply needs.
The district recently passed two major funding measures. In 2023, voters approved a property tax increase that restored planned cuts to athletics, field trips, and music programs. In 2025, the county approved a sales tax earmarked for school facilities and mental health services, which funds facility improvements without raising property taxes further. That same year, the district completed a comprehensive enrollment study and the board voted on a boundary reorganization beginning in 2027-28 that would move hundreds of students across the district to ease crowding at several buildings, including Parkside. Current students would be grandfathered, but families in the area may want to understand how these changes could affect school assignments in the future.
Parkside sits in a town with strong civic anchors and a college-adjacent character that shapes community life, alongside real housing constraints and ongoing school reorganization. For families considering the school, the recent test results and the district's boundary realignment timeline are practical questions worth discussing with staff.
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