The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pearl City Elementary School
Pearl City Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in a small rural village in Stephenson County. The school's enrollment is modest, with roughly two dozen to three dozen students per grade, drawing families from a close-knit agricultural community where farming and related industries have historically shaped daily life.
The school's academic profile shows a pattern that parents should understand clearly. In math, third-grade proficiency is noticeably stronger than upper grades, with a meaningful decline in measured proficiency as students move from grade four through six. In English language arts, third grade again shows the highest proficiency, with performance dipping through the middle grades before recovering somewhat by sixth grade. A science result is available only for fifth grade. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint when compared against the other districts in Stephenson County. Notably, the school achieved full student participation in state testing, meaning results reflect the performance of all enrolled students in tested grades, not a partial sample. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what instructional supports or targeted interventions are in place, especially in the upper elementary grades where proficiency drops most sharply.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students identifying as Hispanic. A small number of Black and multiracial students are also enrolled. Information about English learners and special education enrollment was not available in the data. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility data was likewise not reported.
The school sits within Pearl City itself, a compact village of roughly 1,200 residents laid out along Illinois Route 73. The village's economy is tied loosely to agriculture, dairy farming, and small professional services; larger employment is in nearby Freeport, about twelve miles east. The housing market in the area is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, with home values below the state median and mortgage estimates modest. Population has remained essentially flat over recent decades, with no major new housing developments documented, so families moving to the area should expect a stable small-town setting with limited growth.
The district is making two notable operational changes. Beginning this school year, the district adopted a tiered volunteer service hours requirement for graduation, applying to high school; students who do not complete the required hours will not graduate. Additionally, the district is implementing a district-wide e-Learning program to replace traditional snow days with remote instruction, meaning weather-related closures will increasingly become work-from-home days rather than full days off. These are binding changes that affect how the school calendar and high school completion requirements function.
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