The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 53% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kellar Primary School
Kellar Primary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade in North Peoria, sitting in a residential neighborhood accessible from Mount Hawley Road. The school's enrollment is modest and stable, distributed fairly evenly across its grade band. The student body is diverse: roughly half white, with a substantial share of Black students, smaller groups of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students, and very few or no American Indian or Native Hawaiian students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, as was information on students with individualized education plans or English learners.
In the most recent state testing data, Kellar's third and fourth graders showed proficiency rates that sit just above the state midpoint in both English language arts and mathematics. In ELA, third graders reached proficiency at a slightly higher rate than their fourth-grade peers, while fourth graders matched that performance in reading but fell slightly in math. Testing data for fifth grade and above is not reported because the school does not serve those grades. Across the subjects and grades tested, Kellar's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Peoria County's school districts, a meaningful indicator given the county's diverse school landscape.
The context for Kellar's reading instruction has shifted markedly. In April 2026, Peoria School District 150 approved a substantial overhaul of its K-5 reading curriculum, replacing materials that had been in use since the early 2010s with a science-of-reading aligned program featuring Curriculum Associates' Magnetic Literacy for grades K-4 (along with a Spanish counterpart) and HMH Into Reading for fifth grade. This transition reflects a district-wide pivot back to phonics and evidence-based literacy practices. The shift was prompted by the reality that roughly one-third of students district-wide in grades 3-8 were not reading at grade level. For families considering Kellar, this means the school will be implementing a substantially revised reading approach designed to address foundational decoding and fluency, with implications for classroom practice and parent involvement that may extend several years across the six-year license term.
Peoria itself is a mid-sized city with a mix of established and redeveloping neighborhoods. The area is shaped by major healthcare and manufacturing employers, with the Illinois Riverfront and its parks serving as civic anchors. The city is in a slow-growth period marked by housing redevelopment: low inventory and modest new private construction are offset by adaptive-reuse projects downtown and in the Warehouse District, plus some new affordable housing initiatives on the South Side. The neighborhood setting around Kellar is stable residential; the school sits on Mount Hawley Road in an area typical of North Peoria's newer suburban character. Public transit is available through CityLink, the regional transit authority, which serves schools and parks across eight communities. Housing values in the zip code have shown modest appreciation, with rents rising and an active but moderate listing market.
Kellar's asset is its strong relative proficiency performance. Families drawn to the school should understand that they are entering a district in the early stages of a substantial curriculum transition in reading, one that will reshape instruction across multiple years. For a parent weighing this school, the shift to science-of-reading practices is worth reviewing directly with the school to understand how implementation will unfold and what support will be available during the transition. The school's diverse student composition reflects the broader Peoria community; families choosing this area should be aware of the district's recent school naming changes as part of its effort to reframe institutional identity around educational equity.
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