The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Southeast Elem School
Southeast Elementary School is a small school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Sycamore, a mixed-character small city that functions as the DeKalb County seat. The school enrolls roughly a small to mid-sized student population for the elementary grades, distributed across six grades from kindergarten through fifth.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small but visible Latino population and very small representation of other racial and ethnic groups. The school does not report free or reduced price lunch counts, nor does it report the rates of students in special education or English learner populations, so a parent looking for specifics on those populations would want to contact the school directly.
On the state academic assessments administered in third, fourth, and fifth grades, Southeast's results show a pattern worth noting. Third graders' proficiency in math and English language arts sits in a respectable range, with students performing solidly across both subjects. Fourth graders' results drop noticeably, particularly in math, where fewer than a majority of students performed at proficient levels; English language arts proficiency is also below half. By fifth grade, math proficiency drops further to around a third of students meeting the standard, while reading performance hovers just under half. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits at a moderate level. Participation rates on these assessments are very high across all grades and subjects, indicating strong test attendance and relatively little opt-out.
The school's overall proficiency index across all tested grades and subjects places it above the midpoint among the county's districts, which suggests uneven performance across grades rather than systemic weakness. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand what instructional factors drive the decline from third to fourth and fifth grade, whether interventions are in place for upper elementary students, and what supports exist for students who are not meeting grade-level standards.
Southeast serves grades K-5 only, so the school has no high school students and does not report graduation rates or high school outcomes; those data will apply to middle and high schools elsewhere in Sycamore CUSD 427.
The school is located in a growing residential area. Housing values in the Sycamore zip code have risen modestly over the past year, and rental costs are moderate relative to income. Sycamore itself is experiencing active housing development, particularly in age-restricted communities, and maintains a walkable downtown with a historic core centered on the county courthouse and anchored by civic institutions like the public library and the park district.
At the district level, families should be aware of a few ongoing changes. The district opted out of adopting Illinois' updated sex education standards in 2022 and continues to integrate sex education topics within existing physical education and health classes rather than as a stand-alone curriculum. More recently, the district announced plans to formally integrate artificial intelligence instruction into classrooms beginning in the 2026-27 school year, with students in sixth grade and above receiving education on how AI works, its uses, risks, and ethical implications. Additionally, a countywide referendum for dedicated facility funding failed in November 2024, meaning capital projects and building improvements for the district must rely on existing revenue sources, a reality that may shape future facility decisions and property tax discussions for families in the district.
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