The top reported proficiency rate is 13% in Science. The lowest is 4% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Eastlawn Elem School
Eastlawn Elementary serves grades three through five as part of a small school district in northern Champaign County. The school is located in Rantoul, a village shaped by the closure of Chanute Air Force Base, where manufacturing and light industry now anchor employment alongside educational and health-care sectors. The community is mixed-income, with a median home value below the Illinois state benchmark and rental availability at modest cost. Student enrollment is small, with approximately twenty students per grade across grades three, four, and five, plus an additional early-grades cohort in kindergarten through second grade at a companion school.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black population and smaller numbers of white and multiracial students. More than half of the school's enrollment is Hispanic. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch data was not available in the report, so the economic profile of enrolled families is unclear from the provided record.
Academic performance at Eastlawn is weak across tested subjects and grades. In math, grade three students showed proficiency around one in twenty, grade four around one in twenty-eight, and grade five around one in twenty-six. English-language arts proficiency was similarly low in grades three and four, though grade five showed a notably higher rate—roughly one in four students—suggesting possible variation in instructional strength or student cohort composition by grade. Science proficiency in grade five was around one in eight. Participation in state assessments was near-universal, so the results reflect the full enrolled cohort rather than a subset of test-takers.
A key context for these numbers: Illinois changed its proficiency cutoff scores for state assessments in the year these results were reported, making year-over-year comparison unreliable. The school's proficiency index—an average across all tested subjects and grades—places it in the bottom quartile relative to other schools in Champaign County. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what's driving these outcomes, what supports are in place for struggling students, and whether the transition to the district's new companion schools model and literacy framework is showing early signs of impact in classroom instruction.
Eastlawn is part of a district-wide restructuring. In fall 2024, the district shifted to a Companion Schools Model in which students in grades three through five attend one elementary building while K-2 students attend a separate paired campus. Eastlawn now serves only grades three through five rather than the traditional K-5 band. Alongside this, the district introduced a new literacy framework with ongoing coaching from Focused Schools, a shift that touches every elementary classroom. The district also completed a new PreK center in 2025, funded by a county-wide sales tax approved by voters, reflecting a commitment to early childhood infrastructure. These changes reshape school assignment and classroom pedagogy in ways that deserve direct conversation with school and district staff as a family considers enrollment or continuity.
Staff count, special education enrollment, English learner enrollment, and school-level discipline and attendance data were not provided, so a complete picture of support services and school culture is not available from this report. The school's website location was also not listed, limiting direct access to parent-facing information about specific classroom programs, extracurricular offerings, or building policies.
For families considering Eastlawn, the path forward depends on whether you value the small-school environment and close-knit community of a small village, whether the school's current academic struggles align with or concern you relative to your expectations, and whether the ongoing literacy reforms and organizational changes feel like genuine momentum or a period of flux.
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