The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lowpoint-washburn Elem School
Lowpoint-Washburn Elementary is a small public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Washburn, a rural farming village in north-central Illinois. The school sits in the heart of the community near the village's main street and civic anchors, alongside the district's middle and junior-senior high school buildings. It is the only elementary school in Lowpoint-Washburn CUSD 21.
The enrollment is small, running to about a few hundred students across all grades, with a student body that is predominantly white, reflecting the broader composition of the village. Race and ethnic diversity data shows very limited representation of students of color. Free-or-reduced-price lunch rates are not published in the available data, and counts for special education and English learner populations are similarly unavailable, so a parent seeking clarity on those populations may want to reach out to the district directly.
On state assessments for 2024-25, the school shows uneven academic performance across grades and subjects. In English language arts, third, fourth, and fifth graders show proficiency rates clustered around the midpoint or slightly above, with about half of students meeting or exceeding proficiency on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. In mathematics, performance is more scattered. Third grade math proficiency is modest, fourth grade significantly lower, and fifth grade improves somewhat but still lags behind ELA in the same grades. Science results, available only for fifth grade, show proficiency below the midpoint. The school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades falls below the median among Woodford County's school districts.
A parent may want to look into fourth grade mathematics performance with the school, as it represents a notable dip. It is also worth understanding whether the variation across grade levels reflects particular instructional challenges, student cohort differences, or other factors the school can explain. The available data does not capture earlier years' trends, so it is unclear whether these results reflect a dip or a longer pattern.
Washburn itself is a place of modest size experiencing slow population decline. The village is primarily residential, oriented around agriculture and light manufacturing in the surrounding region, with most working adults commuting to jobs elsewhere. Housing is predominantly pre-World War II stock, and the affordability profile sits modestly below the Illinois state benchmark. The village has two small parks, a branch library, and several churches, but no fixed-route public transit. Schools and civic life are integrated within the village footprint rather than set on outlying campuses. The community context is stable but not growing.
No recent district-level changes, referendums, or curriculum shifts were documented in publicly available sources for the past several years. Staffing, attendance rates, course access, and discipline data for the school were not available. A parent considering enrollment would benefit from visiting the school, speaking directly with staff about instruction and support, and understanding local hiring and retention patterns, which the district can address.
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