West Elem School, Sycamore IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on West Elem School

West Elem School is a kindergarten through fifth-grade school in Sycamore, Illinois, serving a student body of about two hundred fifty students in a mixed-character county-seat town anchored by its courthouse and historic downtown. The school reflects Sycamore's demographic makeup: a majority white enrollment with meaningful Hispanic and Black representation, and a smaller Asian and multiracial population. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, and information on special education and English learner populations was not provided.

The school's academic performance shows a mixed profile across state testing. In English language arts, third graders reached around fifty percent proficiency, with fourth graders at roughly fifty percent and fifth graders around sixty percent. Mathematics shows steeper challenges: third grade proficiency was around sixty percent, but fourth and fifth grades both fell to around forty percent or below, marking a notable dip that a parent may want to look into further with the school. Science testing in fifth grade was around forty percent proficient. All available assessments had full or near-full participation. When compared against other districts in DeKalb County, West Elem's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, positioning it in the middle tier of its county peers.

Sycamore itself is experiencing housing growth, with median home prices rising and new residential communities under development, including age-restricted housing projects. Downtown is historically walkable, anchored by the courthouse, library, and a few blocks of cafes and shops along Main Street. The local economy rests on manufacturing, healthcare, and education, with Northern Illinois University in nearby DeKalb influencing the region. Public transit exists but is limited to a few regional bus lines.

The broader district context matters for families considering this school. In late 2024 and early 2025, voters rejected two separate referendums: one to fund facility improvements through a sales tax, and another to change school board elections to at-large representation. This means facility planning and renovations depend on existing property-tax sources. The district has also chosen to maintain its existing sex education approach integrated into health and PE rather than adopting Illinois' newer National Sex Education Standards. Beginning in 2026-27, the district plans to formally integrate artificial intelligence instruction into classrooms from sixth grade up, covering how AI works, its uses, limits, risks, and ethics—a curriculum shift families will encounter as their children progress through the grades.

West Elem serves as an elementary anchor in a small, livable city with steady growth. The school's strengths center on third-grade performance and solid standing among county peers. The weakening proficiency rates in upper elementary math warrant direct conversation with the school about causes and support strategies, particularly for families with fourth and fifth graders.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 48% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 48% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 57% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 58% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 51% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolSycamore CUSD 427, 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.