Potomac Elem School, Potomac IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Potomac Elem School

Potomac Elementary School is a small, prekindergarten-through-eighth-grade regular public school in rural Vermilion County, serving the village of Potomac and surrounding farmland. The school enrolls a modestly sized student body, with each grade spanning roughly a dozen to fifteen students. The enrollment is predominantly white, with small populations of mixed-race and Black students; data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and English learner status were not available. The school's locale is a quiet, conservative, family-oriented agricultural village that experienced significant population decline after Interstate 74 opened in the early 1970s and has remained stable since. Housing in the area is affordable, with home values well below state and national medians, and most residents own their homes. This is a long-established community school in a setting where family stability and rootedness are high.

On state assessments in 2024-25, Potomac's proficiency results show volatility by grade and subject. In math, third graders reached a modest performance level, fourth graders fell significantly lower, and fifth graders achieved zero proficiency. Sixth grade math recovered to a higher level, but seventh and eighth grades fell to very low results. English language arts showed a similar pattern: third and fourth grades were solidly proficient, fifth grade dropped sharply, sixth grade recovered strongly, and seventh and eighth grades again fell to low proficiency. Science results, reported only for fifth and eighth grades, were quite low in fifth grade and somewhat low in eighth grade. These results are substantially weaker than peers across Vermilion County. The school sits in the top quartile of county schools on an overall proficiency index, a ranking that reflects the composition of the county's schools rather than an indicator that Potomac's results are strong in absolute terms.

The sharp decline in proficiency in the seventh and eighth grades across subjects, and the considerable volatility year to year and by grade, suggest the school may want to examine what changes in curriculum, teaching approach, student mobility, or test-taking conditions occur as students move into the middle grades. A parent may want to look into these patterns with the school directly to understand what is driving the swings and what support is available for students who are not yet meeting state benchmarks. No data on staffing, special education, or English learner services were available, nor were attendance or discipline records reported. The school also has no graduation rate, as it does not serve high school grades; students transition to Armstrong High School, located several miles away in a separate district. The school provides a traditional elementary-and-middle program in a stable, low-turnover community where most families have deep ties to the area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 0%

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

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 33%

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

Grade 682%

School 82% · District 82%

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 33 pts below state median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 13%

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

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

even with state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolPotomac CUSD 10, 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.