Is Sugar Creek Elementary School a good school?

Sugar Creek Elementary School ranks 1086 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sugar Creek Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 414 students attended Sugar Creek Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Sugar Creek Elementary School?

Students at Sugar Creek Elementary School are 45% White, 28% African American, 11% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 6% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Sugar Creek Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Sugar Creek Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Kingsley Junior High School High : Normal Community High School

Sugar Creek Elementary School

Summary:

Sugar Creek Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Normal, Illinois, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 414. 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.

While Sugar Creek Elementary has a relatively high spending per student at $18,032, the school's performance is concerning. Its chronic absenteeism rates have significantly increased, rising from 5.9% in 2019-2020 to 30.4% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district and state averages. Academically, the school's performance, as measured by the percentage of students proficient or better in IAR/English Language Arts and IAR/Mathematics, is consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, only 37.1% of all students at Sugar Creek were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 42.2% for the district and 41.2% for the state. The school's performance on subgroup metrics is also concerning, with rankings for female, male, African American, and white students all in the bottom half of Illinois elementary schools, and the special education and disabled student subgroups performing particularly poorly.

When comparing Sugar Creek Elementary to other nearby schools in the same district, such as Glenn Elementary and Fairview Elementary, it becomes clear that Sugar Creek is underperforming. These schools have higher academic performance and lower chronic absenteeism rates than Sugar Creek. The high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients (57.25% in 2022-2023) at Sugar Creek Elementary may be a contributing factor to the school's lower academic performance and higher chronic absenteeism rates, suggesting that the school may need to focus on addressing the needs of its economically disadvantaged student population.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

200 N Towanda Ave
Normal, IL 61761-1940

(309) 557-4425

District: McLean County Unified School District 5

SchoolDigger Rank:
1086^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,658

Students who attend Sugar Creek Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Kingsley Junior High School
High:	Normal Community High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.5

Number of students: 414

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.9%

African American:

28.3%

Two or more races:

11.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 57.2%

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Compare Sugar Creek Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sugar Creek Elementary School ranks worse than 52.5% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 11^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 43.13. (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 Sugar Creek Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the McLean County Unified School District 5. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sugar Creek Elementary School is $18,658, which is the highest among 16 elementary schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sugar Creek Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Sugar Creek Elementary School 1086^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Sugar Creek Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American 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.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Sugar Creek Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Sugar Creek Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	78.31	405^th	2020	80.0%
2004	75.87	489^th	2030	75.9%
2005	79.08	338^th	2022	83.3%
2006	71.89	634^th	2086	69.6%
2007	71.61	644^th	2095	69.3%
2008	73.14	613^th	2092	70.7%
2009	68.38	791^st	2120	62.7%
2010	74.35	580^th	2139	72.9%
2011	75.30	529^th	2147	75.4%
2012	74.37	573^rd	2166	73.5%
2013	76.60	478^th	2167	77.9%
2014	75.87	494^th	2093	76.4%
2015	38.09	1182^nd	2052	42.4%
2016	44.38	1072^nd	2046	47.6%
2017	41.41	1131^st	2044	44.7%
2018	39.25	1195^th	2037	41.3%
2019	31.01	1422^nd	2086	31.8%
2021	36.37	1139^th	1948	41.5%
2022	34.03	1297^th	2082	37.7%
2023	38.07	1207^th	2077	41.9%
2024	43.13	1086^th	2067	47.5%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sugar Creek Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	30.78	819^th	1194	31.4%
2023	17.29	1112^th	1156	3.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sugar Creek Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	50.43	790^th	1765	55.2%
2019	34.94	1244^th	1816	31.5%
2021	26.71	1188^th	1514	21.5%
2022	27.55	1354^th	1763	23.2%
2023	40.46	1039^th	1808	42.5%
2024	46.19	891^st	1793	50.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sugar Creek Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	39.09	1162^nd	1964	40.8%
2019	31.06	1375^th	2019	31.9%
2021	36.50	1006^th	1680	40.1%
2022	31.49	1287^th	1970	34.7%
2023	34.71	1207^th	1957	38.3%
2024	59.38	694^th	1942	64.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Sugar Creek Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.24	653^rd	907	28.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sugar Creek Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.36	1102^nd	1972	44.1%
2019	31.18	1372^nd	2019	32.0%
2021	32.84	1070^th	1707	37.3%
2022	37.01	1158^th	1977	41.4%
2023	38.54	1133^rd	1984	42.9%
2024	41.77	1049^th	1959	46.5%

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

Rank History for African American students at Sugar Creek Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	58.39	199^th	698	71.5%
2019	46.09	325^th	711	54.3%
2022	35.86	412^th	684	39.8%
2023	40.21	372^nd	692	46.2%
2024	40.94	355^th	655	45.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Sugar Creek Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	36.45	948^th	1463	35.2%
2019	21.43	1227^th	1462	16.1%
2021	34.45	897^th	1308	31.4%
2022	30.41	1056^th	1425	25.9%
2023	45.44	779^th	1419	45.1%
2024	47.84	727^th	1392	47.8%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a student
Friday, August 10, 2012

I'm from Saudi Arabia and I studied at Sugar Creek school for one year 4th grade(1999-2000) and it was amazing and memorial year. The ESL class was beneficial and supportive. I attend the school and I don't no what is Yes and No (No English at all)! and I left it with a very high Spoken and written English. My handwriting until now is different and neat. Thank you all Sugar Creek staff especially Mrs. Sloan Couch my 4th grade teacher. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, March 13, 2009

My daughter goes to Sugar Creek and the Principal (Scott Peters) couldn't be more attentive. Not to mention an involved staff. This is a wonderful school! We are currently basing our new house purchase on being in the district so we don't have to leave. Really great. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Sugar Creek Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	268	26	26	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	325
1989	231	28	36	6	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	301
1990	249	34	28	3	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	314
1991	265	41	29	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	343
1992	254	37	14	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	316
1993	244	37	23	20	0	n/a	n/a	0	324
1994	242	37	34	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	330
1995	244	43	12	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	314
1996	244	43	12	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	314
1997	237	57	22	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	337
1998	217	50	26	38	2	n/a	n/a	0	333
1999	208	50	29	12	2	n/a	n/a	0	301
2000	215	44	31	21	2	n/a	n/a	0	313
2001	208	40	26	29	2	n/a	n/a	0	305
2002	202	49	30	31	1	n/a	n/a	0	313
2003	202	49	30	31	1	n/a	n/a	0	313
2004	149	55	36	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	263
2005	148	61	41	29	0	n/a	n/a	9	288
2006	149	54	49	36	0	n/a	n/a	24	312
2007	158	66	7	14	0	n/a	n/a	3	248
2008	176	54	6	8	1	n/a	n/a	16	261
2009	193	59	7	8	0	n/a	n/a	17	284
2010	186	46	5	6	0	n/a	n/a	22	265
2011	252	75	22	29	1	1	36	0	416
2012	280	80	37	25	2	1	49	0	474
2013	326	102	31	25	2	3	57	0	546
2014	285	102	26	30	2	3	49	0	497
2015	308	116	24	31	1	1	65	0	546
2016	307	115	25	27	2	2	62	0	540
2017	292	138	25	25	2	1	59	0	542
2018	277	144	19	31	1	1	50	0	523
2019	256	136	20	25	2	1	45	0	485
2020	220	122	17	28	1	0	41	0	429
2021	186	111	16	24	1	0	37	0	375
2022	187	120	19	34	2	0	53	0	415
2023	186	117	24	40	1	0	46	0	414

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 Sugar Creek Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	325	17.0	19.1	n/a
1989	301	14.0	21.5	n/a
1990	314	15.0	20.9	n/a
1991	343	18.0	19.0	n/a
1992	316	17.0	18.5	n/a
1993	324	16.0	20.3	n/a
1994	330	16.5	20.0	n/a
1995	314	16.0	19.6	n/a
1996	314	16.0	19.6	n/a
1997	337	17.0	19.8	n/a
1998	333	18.0	18.5	n/a
1999	301	18.0	16.7	n/a
2000	313	17.0	18.4	n/a
2001	305	20.0	15.3	n/a
2002	313	20.0	15.7	25.6
2003	313	20.0	15.7	25.6
2004	263	18.0	14.6	37.3
2005	288	17.0	16.9	46.6
2006	312	18.0	17.3	47.9
2007	248	14.0	17.7	44.5
2008	261	14.0	18.6	47.8
2009	284	15.8	18.0	44.2
2010	265	15.0	17.6	42.4
2011	416	22.8	18.1	25.5
2012	474	26.0	18.2	44.3
2013	546	29.3	18.6	50.9
2014	497	30.0	16.5	56.5
2015	546	28.0	19.5	56
2016	540	28.0	19.2	53.3
2017	542	28.5	19.0	56.5
2018	523	30.4	17.1	58.7
2019	485	32.9	14.7	56.5
2020	429	32.3	13.2	52.9
2021	375	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	415	30.4	13.6	50.4
2023	414	30.5	13.5	57.2

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 Sugar Creek Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	325	17.0	19.1	n/a
1989	301	14.0	21.5	n/a
1990	314	15.0	20.9	n/a
1991	343	18.0	19.0	n/a
1992	316	17.0	18.5	n/a
1993	324	16.0	20.3	n/a
1994	330	16.5	20.0	n/a
1995	314	16.0	19.6	n/a
1996	314	16.0	19.6	n/a
1997	337	17.0	19.8	n/a
1998	333	18.0	18.5	n/a
1999	301	18.0	16.7	n/a
2000	313	17.0	18.4	n/a
2001	305	20.0	15.3	n/a
2002	313	20.0	15.7	25.6
2003	313	20.0	15.7	25.6
2004	263	18.0	14.6	37.3
2005	288	17.0	16.9	46.6
2006	312	18.0	17.3	47.9
2007	248	14.0	17.7	44.5
2008	261	14.0	18.6	47.8
2009	284	15.8	18.0	44.2
2010	265	15.0	17.6	42.4
2011	416	22.8	18.1	25.5
2012	474	26.0	18.2	44.3
2013	546	29.3	18.6	50.9
2014	497	30.0	16.5	56.5
2015	546	28.0	19.5	56
2016	540	28.0	19.2	53.3
2017	542	28.5	19.0	56.5
2018	523	30.4	17.1	58.7
2019	485	32.9	14.7	56.5
2020	429	32.3	13.2	52.9
2021	375	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	415	30.4	13.6	50.4
2023	414	30.5	13.5	57.2

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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