The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Math. The lowest is 54% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Benjamin Elem School
Benjamin Elementary School is a regular public school in Bloomington serving roughly 630 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with a small sixth-grade cohort. The enrollment is ethnically diverse: about half white, a substantial share Asian, and smaller shares black, Hispanic, and American Indian. The school sits on Ireland Grove Road in the west part of Bloomington, anchored in a residential area a few minutes from State Farm's corporate campuses and the emerging housing developments on the city's west side.
The school's academic picture shows mid-range performance on Illinois state testing. In math, third through fifth graders showed proficiency rates hovering in the high fifties to mid-sixties range, with fourth grade the strongest and fifth grade slightly lower. English language arts results were similarly mixed: fourth grade had stronger performance in the low seventies, while third and fifth grades both sat in the low to mid-fifties. Fifth-grade science proficiency was just above the midpoint. These results place Benjamin above the midpoint among districts in McLean County on an overall proficiency measure, but a parent should understand that the school is not in the upper tier locally and that more than four in ten students are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks in most grades and subjects. The assessment did change scoring criteria this year, so direct comparison to prior years is not available from the data.
Benjamin's enrollment picture reflects Bloomington's character as a white-collar professional community anchored by State Farm. Housing in the school's attendance area is solidly middle-class, with home values in the mid-to-upper range for the region. The school's demographic composition and location suggest families with stable income and professional employment, consistent with broader neighborhood patterns.
The district itself is in a period of significant change. In 2023 voters approved a tax referendum that stabilized the district budget after near-cuts to field trips, athletics, and music. In 2025 McLean County voters further approved a countywide school facilities sales tax to fund capital improvements and mental health services. More directly relevant to Benjamin families: a comprehensive boundary and enrollment study voted by the board in April 2026 proposes to shift student assignments across the district starting in 2027-28 to ease crowding at several elementary schools, including Benjamin. Currently enrolled students would be grandfathered at their current building, so families already in the school will not be affected. However, the plan signals that Benjamin will be under enrollment pressure as the region grows, and families considering moving into the Benjamin attendance area should be aware that boundaries may change.
The school's program offerings and staff details are not available in the data provided. Parents wanting to know about specialized instruction, special education supports, English learner services, or extracurricular offerings should contact the school directly or visit its website. Free-or-reduced-price lunch rates and special population counts were also not disclosed in the public data.
Benjamin is situated in a Bloomington that is actively reshaping itself. Housing construction is lagging behind demand driven by Rivian and Ferrero expansion in nearby Normal, and the city is pivoting to rehabilitation of older housing stock to address the crunch. The downtown is undergoing a streetscape overhaul to shift from car-centric to pedestrian-friendly design. These shifts are gradually reshaping the neighborhood character, though Benjamin remains in a stable, primarily residential zone.
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