The top reported proficiency rate is 7% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Matheny-withrow Elem Sch
Matheny-Withrow Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Springfield and enrolls a small student body distributed fairly evenly across grades. The school's enrollment is overwhelmingly Black, with a smaller number of White students and a very small Hispanic enrollment; the school reflects the city's demographic composition but with a higher share of Black students than Springfield overall.
State assessment data from the most recent school year shows that proficiency in both math and English language arts is very low across tested grades. In third grade, fewer than one in ten students met proficiency standards in either subject. By fourth and fifth grades, proficiency rates remained in the single digits for ELA and similarly depressed in math, with fifth-grade math showing no students meeting proficiency. Science testing at fifth grade also reported no proficient students. These numbers are well below the midpoint among the county's districts. The school's participation rate was high, meaning these results reflect actual performance rather than testing barriers. The state assessment underwent cut-score changes this year, so year-to-year comparisons are not yet reliable.
Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner populations were not available. Staff counts, attendance rates, and discipline records were also not reported. This missing information would give a fuller picture of resource needs and school environment at Matheny-Withrow.
Springfield SD 186, the school's district, is navigating substantial fiscal pressure. The district has adopted a multi-year deficit reduction plan that includes cutting elementary literacy coaches, right-sizing middle and high school staffing through attrition, and raising some fees. Potential school closures have been placed on the table as a cost-containment option. Larger class sizes and fewer support staff are likely as these cuts take effect. On the instructional side, the district has adopted a new K-8 elementary literacy curriculum called Benchmark Advance, aligned to phonics and the science of reading, for all elementary students starting in the 2024-2025 school year. This curriculum shift is a meaningful pedagogical change across the grade band Matheny-Withrow serves.
Springfield itself is the state capital and centers on government, healthcare, and education. Downtown and the medical district are genuinely walkable, though most of the city requires a car for errands. The community is investing in downtown revitalization and mixed-income housing development, with active projects including new market-rate apartments and affordable rental homes on historically underdeveloped land. Housing values in the local market are below the Illinois state benchmark and afford-able relative to median household income, which may appeal to families seeking entry into homeownership or stable rental costs.
A parent considering Matheny-Withrow should look closely with the school into how the new literacy curriculum is being implemented at this building and what classroom-level supports are in place as district staff is being reduced. The very low state assessment results warrant a direct conversation about whether this reflects the school's current instruction, past conditions, test administration factors, or some combination, and what specific academic supports the school is providing students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards.
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