Wilson Intermediate School, Pekin IL

Original Research by School Decision on Wilson Intermediate School

Wilson Intermediate School serves grades four through six in Pekin, Illinois, a mid-sized river city that is actively pursuing growth. The school enrolls a small-to-medium student population, with each grade band holding a similar enrollment. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller representations of multiracial students, Hispanic students, and other groups; demographic breakdown data and information about free or reduced-price lunch eligibility were not available.

The school participates in the state's Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in math and English language arts, and science testing at the middle grades. On the 2024-2025 IAR, Wilson's performance in math is notably weak. In fourth grade, fewer than one in four students scored proficient or above; that rate dropped to roughly one in five in fifth grade and continued declining in sixth grade to the lowest point. English language arts results are stronger. In fourth grade, roughly mid-range proficiency was reached, with similar or slightly lower results in fifth and sixth grades. The school administered science testing in fifth grade, where just over one-third of students met proficiency; eighth-grade science data were not available, likely because the school does not serve eighth grade. Testing participation was uniformly high across grades and subjects.

Positioned against other districts in Tazewell County, Wilson's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The school has no graduation rate because it serves only intermediate grades. Chronic absenteeism data and other student-outcome measures were not provided.

A notable shift has taken effect for this school year: Washington and Wilson Intermediate Schools have moved to Standards-Based Grading and Reporting, changing how student progress is marked on report cards and discussed in conferences. Parents of students here will encounter this different reporting model, which focuses on student mastery of individual learning standards rather than traditional letter grades.

The school sits within Pekin PSD 108, a district that has made free breakfast and lunch available to all enrolled students for 2025-2026 under the federal Community Eligibility Provision, requiring no application. At the household level, the district is the largest component of the local property tax bill for Pekin residents, so levy decisions have outsized financial weight for homeowners in the attendance area.

Pekin itself is experiencing active development. The city recently purchased a significant property for mixed-use expansion, approved new duplex construction, and is extending major roads to better connect neighborhoods and bypass the downtown core. The housing market is tight, with realtors reporting many buyers and limited inventory. Home values in the zipcode have appreciated, and rental costs run modest relative to household income. This context matters for families considering the area: housing demand is strong, but availability is constrained.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 28% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 50% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 48% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Science

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 32% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

This schoolPekin PSD 108, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.