Is Pepper Ridge Elementary School a good school?

Pepper Ridge Elementary School ranks 661 st of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pepper Ridge Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 299 students attended Pepper Ridge Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Pepper Ridge Elementary School?

Students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School are 59% White, 15% African American, 15% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Pepper Ridge Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Pepper Ridge Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Evans Junior High School High : Normal Community West High School

Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Summary:

Pepper Ridge Elementary School is a public elementary school in Bloomington, Illinois, serving 315 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the McLean County Unified School District 5, which is ranked 420 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pepper Ridge Elementary School has shown relatively strong performance in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics compared to the district and state averages, with a 42.6% ELA proficiency rate and a 34.6% Mathematics proficiency rate in the 2023-2024 school year. The school's 5th-grade ELA performance is particularly noteworthy, with 59.5% of students proficient or better, significantly higher than the district's 44.2% and the state's 39.1%. However, the school's 3rd-grade ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates have been lower than the district and state averages in recent years. Additionally, the school has performed well for its African American students, ranking 166 out of 684 Illinois elementary schools in the 2021-2022 school year, but has struggled with students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking 936 out of 1,793 Illinois elementary schools in the 2023-2024 school year.

Compared to nearby schools, Pepper Ridge Elementary School generally outperforms other schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5, particularly in ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Pepper Ridge's ELA proficiency rate of 42.6% was significantly higher than the district average of 42.2% and the rates of nearby schools like Oakdale Elementary (20.6%) and Glenn Elementary (32.3%). However, when compared to schools in the Bloomington School District 87, such as Washington Elementary, some of those schools have outperformed Pepper Ridge in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates.

Detail:

Public K-5

2602 Danbury Dr
Bloomington, IL 61705-6506

(309) 557-4423

District: McLean County Unified School District 5

SchoolDigger Rank:
661^st of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,446

Students who attend Pepper Ridge Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Evans Junior High School
High:	Normal Community West High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.5

Number of students: 299

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.2%

African American:

15.4%

Hispanic:

15.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 54.5%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Pepper Ridge Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pepper Ridge Elementary School ranks better than 68% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 7^th among 16 ranked elementary schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 64.06. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Pepper Ridge Elementary School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (59.2%), African American (15.4%), Hispanic (15.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 54.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pepper Ridge Elementary School is 11.5, which is the 3^rd best among 16 elementary schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5. (See more...)

Compare Pepper Ridge Elementary School employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pepper Ridge Elementary School is $17,446, which is the 4^th highest among 16 elementary schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pepper Ridge Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Pepper Ridge Elementary School 661^st of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Pepper Ridge Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

White students:

McLean County Unified School District 5:

SchoolDigger ranks McLean County Unified School District 5 420^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Pepper Ridge Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	52.51	1167^th	2020	42.2%
2004	55.62	1107^th	2030	45.5%
2005	55.20	1117^th	2022	44.8%
2006	56.85	1150^th	2086	44.9%
2007	48.49	1352^nd	2095	35.5%
2008	55.31	1154^th	2092	44.8%
2009	50.04	1277^th	2120	39.8%
2010	66.94	851^st	2139	60.2%
2011	70.49	717^th	2147	66.6%
2012	74.95	547^th	2166	74.7%
2013	66.90	748^th	2167	65.5%
2014	75.74	496^th	2093	76.3%
2015	44.19	1027^th	2052	50.0%
2016	53.92	874^th	2046	57.3%
2017	47.53	1007^th	2044	50.7%
2018	50.08	946^th	2037	53.6%
2019	50.09	966^th	2086	53.7%
2021	58.90	671^st	1948	65.6%
2022	45.24	1056^th	2082	49.3%
2023	35.82	1267^th	2077	39.0%
2024	64.06	661^st	2067	68.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	43.36	352^nd	763	53.9%
2019	42.88	577^th	1194	51.7%
2021	32.13	413^th	640	35.5%
2022	48.99	423^rd	1113	62.0%
2023	23.07	978^th	1156	15.4%
2024	58.61	377^th	1195	68.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	46.15	894^th	1765	49.3%
2019	42.98	1012^th	1816	44.3%
2021	35.49	981^st	1514	35.2%
2022	25.69	1402^nd	1763	20.5%
2023	18.20	1681^st	1808	7.0%
2024	44.69	936^th	1793	47.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	55.72	798^th	1964	59.4%
2019	53.82	877^th	2019	56.6%
2021	63.02	539^th	1680	67.9%
2022	41.06	1064^th	1970	46.0%
2023	33.97	1228^th	1957	37.3%
2024	51.95	818^th	1942	57.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.16	660^th	907	27.2%
2024	68.00	162^nd	886	81.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.84	1036^th	1972	47.5%
2019	49.35	940^th	2019	53.4%
2021	46.73	805^th	1707	52.8%
2022	48.07	915^th	1977	53.7%
2023	38.34	1140^th	1984	42.5%
2024	69.98	511^th	1959	73.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	38.37	392^nd	698	43.8%
2022	61.07	166^th	684	75.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	44.00	827^th	1463	43.5%
2019	38.20	945^th	1462	35.4%
2021	49.78	614^th	1308	53.1%
2022	34.67	973^rd	1425	31.7%
2023	25.08	1134^th	1419	20.1%
2024	63.16	470^th	1392	66.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Pepper Ridge Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1995	447	29	6	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	489
1996	447	29	6	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	489
1997	435	35	10	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	486
1998	449	53	7	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	518
1999	505	70	5	26	4	n/a	n/a	0	610
2000	519	64	15	27	2	n/a	n/a	0	627
2001	526	74	8	30	2	n/a	n/a	0	640
2002	395	82	4	51	1	n/a	n/a	0	533
2003	395	82	4	51	1	n/a	n/a	0	533
2004	330	80	3	33	2	n/a	n/a	0	448
2005	306	72	2	34	3	n/a	n/a	20	437
2006	305	59	0	36	2	n/a	n/a	49	451
2007	310	85	3	26	2	n/a	n/a	46	472
2008	321	91	6	42	3	n/a	n/a	46	509
2009	326	86	11	44	2	n/a	n/a	47	516
2010	293	70	8	49	1	n/a	n/a	43	464
2011	280	67	1	35	0	2	9	0	394
2012	304	73	3	34	0	1	14	0	429
2013	304	78	7	32	1	1	20	0	443
2014	318	66	5	28	0	1	21	0	439
2015	304	66	2	25	1	1	23	0	422
2016	298	66	3	27	1	0	20	0	415
2017	277	63	2	20	1	0	23	0	386
2018	253	51	7	18	1	0	24	0	354
2019	237	46	5	16	1	0	26	0	331
2020	236	59	8	17	0	0	36	0	356
2021	213	43	2	21	1	0	31	0	311
2022	185	51	3	26	0	0	33	0	298
2023	195	50	5	34	0	0	31	0	315
2024	177	46	4	46	0	0	26	0	299

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Pepper Ridge Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	489	30.0	16.3	n/a
1996	489	30.0	16.3	n/a
1997	486	31.1	15.6	n/a
1998	518	31.0	16.7	n/a
1999	610	33.0	18.5	n/a
2000	627	42.4	14.8	n/a
2001	640	40.4	15.8	n/a
2002	533	39.0	13.7	28.5
2003	533	39.0	13.7	28.5
2004	448	32.8	13.7	32.6
2005	437	28.5	15.3	34.5
2006	451	30.1	15.0	36.8
2007	472	25.0	18.9	48.6
2008	509	25.0	20.4	55.3
2009	516	38.8	13.3	52
2010	464	36.0	12.8	52.3
2011	394	26.0	15.1	44.4
2012	429	26.0	16.5	45.5
2013	443	35.7	12.3	46
2014	439	29.0	15.1	44
2015	422	28.0	15.0	48.8
2016	415	28.0	14.8	41.7
2017	386	27.3	14.1	44.6
2018	354	28.8	12.2	45.5
2019	331	25.8	12.8	44.1
2020	356	28.9	12.3	45.5
2021	311	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	298	28.9	10.3	43
2023	315	27.7	11.3	48.9
2024	299	26.0	11.5	54.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Pepper Ridge Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	489	30.0	16.3	n/a
1996	489	30.0	16.3	n/a
1997	486	31.1	15.6	n/a
1998	518	31.0	16.7	n/a
1999	610	33.0	18.5	n/a
2000	627	42.4	14.8	n/a
2001	640	40.4	15.8	n/a
2002	533	39.0	13.7	28.5
2003	533	39.0	13.7	28.5
2004	448	32.8	13.7	32.6
2005	437	28.5	15.3	34.5
2006	451	30.1	15.0	36.8
2007	472	25.0	18.9	48.6
2008	509	25.0	20.4	55.3
2009	516	38.8	13.3	52
2010	464	36.0	12.8	52.3
2011	394	26.0	15.1	44.4
2012	429	26.0	16.5	45.5
2013	443	35.7	12.3	46
2014	439	29.0	15.1	44
2015	422	28.0	15.0	48.8
2016	415	28.0	14.8	41.7
2017	386	27.3	14.1	44.6
2018	354	28.8	12.2	45.5
2019	331	25.8	12.8	44.1
2020	356	28.9	12.3	45.5
2021	311	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	298	28.9	10.3	43
2023	315	27.7	11.3	48.9
2024	299	26.0	11.5	54.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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