The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Oblong Elem School
Oblong Elem School is a small public school serving prekindergarten through eighth grade in the village of Oblong in Crawford County, southeastern Illinois. The school draws from a compact, settled community with a median age that reflects an older population and housing stock, where most residents trace ties to the area's historical oil industry or small-town commerce. The village itself has experienced population contraction over recent decades and hosts little new residential development, though the school building sits centrally on West Main Street within walking distance of the downtown's library and civic core.
The school enrolls roughly a mid-sized student body for its grade configuration, spread across ten grades from pre-K through eighth. The student population is overwhelmingly white, with very small numbers of Black and Hispanic students. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch status was not available, so a reader cannot assess what portion of students face economic hardship. Similarly, counts of students with individualized education plans and English learners were not reported, leaving a gap in understanding the proportion of students requiring specialized services.
State testing data from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness in English language arts and mathematics shows a pattern of uneven performance across grades. In reading, the school achieves solid proficiency in grades four, five, seven, and eight, with performance climbing noticeably in eighth grade. Third and sixth grades run lower. In math, the picture is considerably weaker: only fourth grade reaches near half proficiency; third, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades all show proficiency rates below half, with sixth and seventh grades dropping into single digits. Science proficiency, measured in grades five and eight, sits at roughly half. The gap between reading and math performance is substantial and appears to widen in the middle grades, suggesting that upper-elementary and middle-school math instruction may warrant closer examination.
When positioned against the other districts in Crawford County, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint, meaning it outperforms some county neighbors in test results, though not all. A parent may want to look into whether this reflects genuine strength or whether county benchmarks are broadly modest.
Because Oblong Elem is a combined elementary and middle school, it does not report a high school graduation rate. No data was available on chronic absenteeism, course offerings, extracurricular programs, or staff composition. The school's website was not identified in available sources, so a parent seeking curriculum details, contact information, or registration procedures should search directly or contact the Oblong CUSD 4 district office.
Housing in the Oblong area is affordable relative to state and national medians, with home values roughly half the state average. The median household income for the region is stable. An estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical local home, with standard assumptions, runs to a modest figure, placing homeownership within reach for many households. This affordability anchors a community where many families own homes outright or with long tenure, though the lack of new construction suggests limited in-migration.
The school serves a community in demographic decline, with few families relocating in. For families already rooted in Oblong or the surrounding township, Oblong Elem is the default public choice for grades pre-K through eight. For families considering the area, the school's reading proficiency is adequate in upper grades but math performance in the middle grades presents a clear soft spot. A parent evaluating the school would benefit from direct conversation with teachers and administrators about math curriculum, staffing, and recent interventions in that subject.
See more original research from School Decision →