Quest Charter School Academy, Peoria IL

Original Research by School Decision on Quest Charter School Academy

Quest Charter School Academy is a public charter school serving grades five through twelve in Peoria, with an enrollment of about four hundred students. The school sits in a mixed-income urban setting where the housing market is moderately affordable and community anchors include the Illinois Riverfront, public transit via CityLink, and a concentrated redevelopment effort in the downtown and Warehouse districts.

The school's academic performance is a significant concern. State test data from the most recent year shows proficiency across tested grades and subjects well below the typical range for the county's districts. In math, proficiency ranges from essentially zero to under one-tenth of students across grades five through eight; in English language arts, the highest rate is just over one-tenth. Science shows somewhat better performance, reaching over one-quarter of eighth graders, but overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places this school in the bottom quartile among the county's districts. A parent should look closely into what instructional shifts are underway, especially given that the parent district, Peoria SD 150, approved a major science-of-reading curriculum overhaul in April 2026 to address a district-wide literacy gap.

The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students. Data on free- or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner populations were not available. The school spans a broad grade band from elementary through high school, but enrollment declines sharply in the upper grades: the ninth through twelfth grade cohorts are substantially smaller than the fifth through eighth grade enrollment. State testing data was not available for high school grades, and no graduation rate or other secondary outcomes were provided.

The charter designation places this school under different governance than traditional Peoria public schools but within the same district. Neither program details nor staffing information were present in the available data. The school's location on North University Street places it in a part of the city where walkability is limited outside specific districts; daily life is car-oriented.

Peoria County's housing market has shown modest appreciation and remains relatively affordable by national standards. The local economy is anchored by healthcare and manufacturing, particularly OSF Healthcare and Caterpillar, with smaller institutional employers including Bradley University and Illinois Central College. Growth is concentrated in adaptive reuse and infill rather than new subdivisions.

For a parent considering this school, the core question centers on how the school is addressing the large gap between current proficiency and grade-level expectations in literacy and math, what specific programs or pathways it offers across its five grade bands, and whether the instructional direction aligns with the new evidence-based literacy materials rolling out across the district. The steep grade-band enrollment pattern also warrants conversation with the school about retention and the nature of the secondary program.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 16% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 14% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 20% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 13% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 29% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 27% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 72%

School 2% · District 25% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 35% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 18% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 21% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolPeoria SD 150, 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.