Summary:
The Prairie Central CUSD 8 district in Illinois is home to three elementary schools: Prairie Central Elementary School, Prairie Central Primary West, and Prairie Central Primary East. These schools serve students from prekindergarten through 5th grade and provide a range of educational opportunities within the district.
Among the three schools, Prairie Central Primary East stands out as the school with the highest spending per student at $16,432, as well as the highest percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients at 63.89%. However, this school also has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 27.4%, which is a concern. In contrast, Prairie Central Primary West has the lowest student-teacher ratio at 16.6 and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 10.0%, suggesting a more favorable learning environment.
Academically, Prairie Central Elementary School stands out as the weakest performer, with proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Mathematics that are significantly lower than the district and state averages. The school's statewide ranking has also declined over the past few years, from 941 out of 2,082 Illinois elementary schools in 2021-2022 to 1,163 out of 2,067 in 2023-2024, accompanied by a drop in its performance rating from 3 stars to 2 stars out of 5. These disparities in academic performance and resource allocation within the Prairie Central CUSD 8 district suggest areas for improvement and further investigation.
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