Is Prairieland Elementary School a good school?

Prairieland Elementary School ranks 385 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Prairieland Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 459 students attended Prairieland Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Prairieland Elementary School?

Students at Prairieland Elementary School are 76% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 5% African American, 4% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Prairieland Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Prairieland Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Parkside Junior High School High : Normal Community West High School

Prairieland Elementary School

Summary:

Prairieland Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Normal, Illinois, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 433 students. 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.

Prairieland Elementary consistently ranks among the top 20% of Illinois elementary schools, with a statewide ranking between 121 and 419 over the past 10 years. The school's performance on state assessments (IAR and ISA) is significantly higher than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with 48.7% of students proficient or better in ELA and 47.4% in Math, compared to 42.2% and 29.3% for the district, and 41.2% and 28.4% for the state. Prairieland also excels in 5th-grade science, with a proficiency rate of 68%, notably higher than the district (58.3%) and state (53.2%) averages. The school consistently ranks in the top 25% of Illinois elementary schools for its performance with special education and disabled student subgroups, though its ranking for low socioeconomic status students has fluctuated.

Compared to nearby schools, Oakdale Elementary and Parkside Elementary, Prairieland outperforms them on most academic measures. However, the high-performing Grove Elementary School surpasses Prairieland in several areas, including ELA and Math proficiency rates. Stevenson Elementary, part of the Bloomington School District 87, lags significantly behind Prairieland and the other nearby schools in academic performance. Prairieland's relatively low percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (20.32%) suggests it serves a more affluent student population, which may contribute to its stronger academic performance.

Detail:

Public K-5

1300 E Raab Rd
Normal, IL 61761-9744

(309) 557-4424

District: McLean County Unified School District 5

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,052

Students who attend Prairieland Elementary School usually attend:

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

Student/teacher ratio: 14.5

Number of students: 459

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.5%

Hispanic:

8.9%

Two or more races:

5.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 20.3%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Prairieland Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Prairieland Elementary School ranks better than 81.4% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 3^rd 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 79.11. (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 Racial makeup is: White (76.5%), Hispanic (8.9%), two or more races (5.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 20.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Prairieland Elementary School is 14.5. 12 elementary schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Prairieland Elementary School employs 31.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Prairieland Elementary School is $13,052. 13 elementary schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Prairieland Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Prairieland Elementary School 385^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Prairieland 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.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Prairieland Elementary School.

What do you think?

Your rating for Prairieland Elementary School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Prairieland Elementary School

Compare

Rank History for all students at Prairieland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	81.36	301^st	2020	85.1%
2004	81.19	296^th	2030	85.4%
2005	79.15	335^th	2022	83.4%
2006	84.37	128^th	2086	93.9%
2007	83.47	158^th	2095	92.5%
2008	80.32	325^th	2092	84.5%
2009	81.62	283^rd	2120	86.7%
2010	84.79	151^st	2139	92.9%
2011	83.24	213^th	2147	90.1%
2012	79.58	370^th	2166	82.9%
2013	88.30	179^th	2167	91.7%
2014	90.30	121^st	2093	94.2%
2015	83.12	307^th	2052	85.0%
2016	86.48	244^th	2046	88.1%
2017	85.68	250^th	2044	87.8%
2018	80.83	342^nd	2037	83.2%
2019	87.13	217^th	2086	89.6%
2021	87.06	201^st	1948	89.7%
2022	83.52	311^th	2082	85.1%
2023	79.47	380^th	2077	81.7%
2024	79.11	385^th	2067	81.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Prairieland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	55.78	223^rd	763	70.8%
2019	68.83	234^th	1194	80.4%
2021	54.38	221^st	640	65.5%
2022	77.32	144^th	1113	87.1%
2023	75.79	182^nd	1156	84.3%
2024	66.35	290^th	1195	75.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Prairieland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	62.25	505^th	1765	71.4%
2019	67.00	419^th	1816	76.9%
2021	66.94	300^th	1514	80.2%
2022	47.45	834^th	1763	52.7%
2023	45.72	912^th	1808	49.6%
2024	76.24	234^th	1793	86.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Prairieland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	73.03	474^th	1964	75.9%
2019	84.41	236^th	2019	88.3%
2021	77.54	304^th	1680	81.9%
2022	73.54	462^nd	1970	76.5%
2023	76.97	390^th	1957	80.1%
2024	74.98	419^th	1942	78.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Prairieland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	77.76	114^th	907	87.4%
2024	83.09	69^th	886	92.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Prairieland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	86.62	209^th	1972	89.4%
2019	87.57	186^th	2019	90.8%
2021	87.39	155^th	1707	90.9%
2022	86.28	221^st	1977	88.8%
2023	75.88	405^th	1984	79.6%
2024	75.44	418^th	1959	78.7%

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

Rank History for White students at Prairieland Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	69.11	397^th	1463	72.9%
2019	77.59	244^th	1462	83.3%
2021	78.28	195^th	1308	85.1%
2022	73.91	291^st	1425	79.6%
2023	72.55	307^th	1419	78.4%
2024	71.84	329^th	1392	76.4%

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: 4)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, May 25, 2012

We have been very happy with this school. We will be going on our 4th year there. Ratios of teacher to students is getting a little high, but many of the schools in the area have the same numbers. I feel my child is challenged, has fun, and is safe at Prairieland. New principal this year and I think she's doing a fine job. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Prairieland Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2000	500	156	20	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	692
2001	482	75	25	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	591
2002	482	53	25	22	1	n/a	n/a	0	583
2003	482	53	25	22	1	n/a	n/a	0	583
2004	440	76	20	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	546
2005	460	50	14	12	0	n/a	n/a	8	544
2006	457	50	8	10	0	n/a	n/a	23	548
2007	482	41	15	9	1	n/a	n/a	27	575
2008	480	44	15	12	1	n/a	n/a	31	583
2009	454	42	10	10	0	n/a	n/a	39	555
2010	473	40	10	12	0	n/a	n/a	42	577
2011	501	24	13	22	0	2	37	0	599
2012	471	19	17	27	0	1	38	0	573
2013	477	22	18	22	0	0	34	0	573
2014	467	23	22	22	0	0	29	0	563
2015	461	18	26	21	1	0	26	0	553
2016	439	23	25	21	2	0	24	0	534
2017	415	23	19	23	0	0	29	0	509
2018	409	27	18	21	0	0	20	0	495
2019	382	36	15	18	0	0	17	0	468
2020	374	40	14	19	1	0	16	0	464
2021	339	22	11	21	0	0	17	0	410
2022	354	20	14	30	0	0	19	0	437
2023	347	24	17	25	0	0	20	0	433
2024	351	22	20	41	1	0	24	0	459

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 Prairieland Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2000	692	35.4	19.5	n/a
2001	591	37.9	15.6	n/a
2002	583	37.9	15.4	9.1
2003	583	37.9	15.4	9.1
2004	546	34.0	16.1	13.6
2005	544	35.0	15.5	9.1
2006	548	36.0	15.2	10.9
2007	575	28.0	20.5	10
2008	583	28.0	20.8	9.6
2009	555	35.0	15.9	12
2010	577	34.0	16.9	11.2
2011	599	31.0	19.3	11.7
2012	573	30.0	19.1	13.8
2013	573	34.1	16.7	14.3
2014	563	29.8	18.8	13.9
2015	553	28.0	19.7	17
2016	534	29.0	18.4	14.6
2017	509	27.8	18.3	16.3
2018	495	29.7	16.6	18.6
2019	468	29.3	15.9	18.8
2020	464	31.8	14.5	20.9
2021	410	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	437	32.6	13.3	17.6
2023	433	32.0	13.5	20.3
2024	459	31.5	14.5	20.3

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 Prairieland Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2000	692	35.4	19.5	n/a
2001	591	37.9	15.6	n/a
2002	583	37.9	15.4	9.1
2003	583	37.9	15.4	9.1
2004	546	34.0	16.1	13.6
2005	544	35.0	15.5	9.1
2006	548	36.0	15.2	10.9
2007	575	28.0	20.5	10
2008	583	28.0	20.8	9.6
2009	555	35.0	15.9	12
2010	577	34.0	16.9	11.2
2011	599	31.0	19.3	11.7
2012	573	30.0	19.1	13.8
2013	573	34.1	16.7	14.3
2014	563	29.8	18.8	13.9
2015	553	28.0	19.7	17
2016	534	29.0	18.4	14.6
2017	509	27.8	18.3	16.3
2018	495	29.7	16.6	18.6
2019	468	29.3	15.9	18.8
2020	464	31.8	14.5	20.9
2021	410	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	437	32.6	13.3	17.6
2023	433	32.0	13.5	20.3
2024	459	31.5	14.5	20.3

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.

Immunization Rates