The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Central Intermediate School
Central Intermediate School serves fifth and sixth graders in Ottawa, a small Illinois River city in LaSalle County. The school enrolls about mid-sized cohorts of students in each grade, with the overall population skewed toward fifth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a small but steady share of Hispanic students and limited representation from other racial and ethnic groups.
The academic picture from the most recent state testing shows uneven performance. In English language arts, sixth graders demonstrate stronger proficiency than fifth graders, with notably higher results at the sixth-grade level. Fifth-grade ELA proficiency is roughly in the middle range. Mathematics proficiency is considerably lower across both grades, with results well below ELA in both cohorts. Science proficiency at fifth grade, the only grade tested, sits between the ELA and math outcomes. State testing data for grades three, four, seven, and eight are not available, likely because this school serves only grades five and six and the district may test those grades elsewhere.
When compared against other districts in LaSalle County, Central Intermediate's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. This means academic results here are below the median performance of other tested schools in the county and warrant close attention. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to math instruction and remediation, since that is the softest area of the data, and to ask about support services for students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards.
The school sits on McKinley Road in Ottawa. Ottawa itself is a walkable downtown community anchored by historic Washington Square (where the first Lincoln-Douglas debate took place) and civic spaces like Reddick Public Library and the Fox River Riverwalk. The local economy is anchored by health care and retail. Housing is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks. The community has announced a major new OSF HealthCare hospital construction project with a tentative completion in late 2027, though recent employment data show modest overall decline. School choice data, free-and-reduced-price-lunch rates, special education enrollment, English learner population, attendance, and discipline records were not available. The district brief yielded no recent major referendums or curriculum shifts to flag for parents.
Central Intermediate is a conventional public elementary school with no specialized magnet or charter designation. Readers should expect a standard intermediate school model serving a broad neighborhood population in a stable, affordably-priced small city.
See more original research from School Decision →