The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in Science. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Ridgely Elem School
Ridgely Elem School serves children from pre-K through fifth grade in Springfield's north side. The school sits in a roughly mid-sized elementary enrollment for its grade band, with a notably diverse student body: just under half white, roughly a third Black, about one-sixth multiracial, and smaller shares of Hispanic and Asian students. The school draws from a neighborhood where median home values sit modestly below the state benchmark and monthly rents remain affordable, reflecting Springfield's broader positioning as a lower-cost regional center anchored by state government and healthcare.
Academic performance at Ridgely is a soft spot. State test results from the most recent year show proficiency well below the county average across the subjects tested. In math, third-graders reached proficiency at a rate in the low teens, fourth-graders at roughly the same, and fifth-graders in the late teens. Reading results are somewhat stronger, with fourth-graders at just under one-third proficient and fifth-graders near that mark, though third-grade reading proficiency was in the low teens. Science proficiency for fifth-graders came in near three in ten. These numbers place the school in the bottom quartile among Sangamon County schools on an overall proficiency index. A parent may want to look into this further with the school—specifically, what supports are in place for struggling readers and mathematicians, and how the school is responding to these results.
Worth noting: the school sits within Springfield SD 186, a district that has just adopted a new K-8 literacy curriculum grounded in phonics and the science of reading, rolling out for the 2024-2025 school year. This curriculum change is meant to address concerns about insufficient phonics-based instruction. At the same time, the district faces a substantial operating deficit and has begun a multi-year cost-reduction plan that includes cutting elementary literacy coaches and may lead to larger class sizes. These district-level changes will directly shape the learning environment at Ridgely over the next several years, making it worth asking the school how it is staffed for literacy support under the new curriculum and the budget constraints.
The school enrolls children from pre-K through fifth grade, so there are no high school pathways or AP offerings to consider. The pre-K program is relatively large, suggesting the school may serve as a point of entry for families with younger children. Enrollment in the elementary grades runs consistently across grades one through five, all small enough that classroom teachers will likely know every child well. The school's location on N 8th Street puts it in Springfield's north side, in a neighborhood with car-oriented commercial strips and residential blocks typical of the city outside the downtown core.
Springfield itself is a state capital with a functioning government core, anchored by healthcare and higher education, and marked by modest downtown revitalization efforts aimed at the medical district and historic areas. Housing is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, making the area accessible to working families. The city has modest walkability outside downtown, and everyday life is car-dependent for most errands. The neighborhood schools serve families across the income and racial spectrum, reflecting the broader community composition.
The district is working on a new South Side elementary school that would serve the city's south side near Franklin Park; if approved, this would change attendance boundaries and open a new neighborhood option, though Ridgely is on the north side and would not be directly affected by that change.
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