Is Parkside Elementary School a good school?

Parkside Elementary School ranks 1443 rd of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Parkside Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 309 students attended Parkside Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Parkside Elementary School?

Students at Parkside Elementary School are 54% White, 18% Hispanic, 16% African American, 11% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Parkside Elementary School attend?

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

Parkside Elementary School

Summary:

Parkside Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Normal, Illinois, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 292. 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.

Parkside Elementary School consistently performs below the district and state averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate for all grades was 19.2%, compared to the district's 42.2% and the state's 41.2%. The school's performance is particularly low for White and Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 20-25% of Illinois elementary schools for these subgroups. However, the school's African American student subgroup performs relatively better, ranking in the top 40% of Illinois elementary schools in recent years. Additionally, Parkside Elementary School has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 8.3% in 2019-2020 to 26.0% in 2021-2022, before slightly improving to 18.5% in 2022-2023.

While Parkside Elementary School's academic performance lags significantly behind other schools in the same district, such as Prairieland Elementary School, which ranked in the top 20% of Illinois elementary schools, its performance is still better than some schools in the neighboring Bloomington School District 87, such as Irving Elementary and Sheridan Elementary, which ranked in the bottom 20% of Illinois elementary schools. Additionally, the school's relatively high per-student spending of $15,415 in the 2022-2023 school year, compared to the district average of $13,845 at Colene Hoose Elementary School and $12,247 at Prairieland Elementary School, suggests that the school may need to re-evaluate how resources are being allocated and utilized to support student learning more effectively.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

1900 W College Ave
Normal, IL 61761-2368

(309) 557-4422

District: McLean County Unified School District 5

SchoolDigger Rank:
1443^rd of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,855

Students who attend Parkside Elementary School usually attend:

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

Student/teacher ratio: 13.4

Number of students: 309

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.7%

Hispanic:

18.4%

African American:

15.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 55.7%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Parkside Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Parkside Elementary School ranks worse than 69.8% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 13^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 28.69. (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 Parkside Elementary School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (53.7%), Hispanic (18.4%), African American (15.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 55.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Parkside Elementary School is 13.4, which is the 7^th best among 16 elementary schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5. (See more...)

Compare Parkside Elementary School employs 22.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Parkside Elementary School is $15,855, which is the 5^th highest among 16 elementary schools in the McLean County Unified School District 5.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Parkside Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Parkside Elementary School 1443^rd of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Parkside Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female 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 Parkside Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Parkside Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	81.10	310^th	2020	84.7%
2004	71.25	656^th	2030	67.7%
2005	56.90	1075^th	2022	46.8%
2006	59.25	1074^th	2086	48.5%
2007	47.92	1362^nd	2095	35.0%
2008	55.72	1139^th	2092	45.6%
2009	52.70	1219^th	2120	42.5%
2010	50.20	1287^th	2139	39.8%
2011	51.03	1259^th	2147	41.4%
2012	50.69	1285^th	2166	40.7%
2013	63.13	856^th	2167	60.5%
2014	69.57	640^th	2093	69.4%
2015	41.50	1098^th	2052	46.5%
2016	40.76	1156^th	2046	43.5%
2017	39.88	1173^rd	2044	42.6%
2018	39.39	1190^th	2037	41.6%
2019	59.02	803^rd	2086	61.5%
2021	46.24	929^th	1948	52.3%
2022	29.86	1402^nd	2082	32.7%
2023	36.15	1258^th	2077	39.4%
2024	28.69	1443^rd	2067	30.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Parkside Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.45	470^th	763	38.4%
2019	32.06	784^th	1194	34.3%
2023	30.95	771^st	1156	33.3%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.78	1340^th	1765	24.1%
2019	50.05	818^th	1816	55.0%
2021	25.28	1234^th	1514	18.5%
2022	25.66	1403^rd	1763	20.4%
2023	29.66	1338^th	1808	26.0%
2024	29.49	1326^th	1793	26.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Parkside Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.14	1134^th	1964	42.3%
2019	66.87	610^th	2019	69.8%
2021	42.12	884^th	1680	47.4%
2022	32.50	1258^th	1970	36.1%
2023	39.78	1109^th	1957	43.3%
2024	33.20	1232^nd	1942	36.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Parkside Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	32.05	592^nd	907	34.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Parkside Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	38.87	1143^rd	1972	42.0%
2019	47.71	970^th	2019	52.0%
2021	39.66	946^th	1707	44.6%
2022	28.67	1336^th	1977	32.4%
2023	33.10	1255^th	1984	36.7%
2024	26.03	1418^th	1959	27.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at Parkside Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.52	574^th	698	17.8%
2019	40.65	383^rd	711	46.1%
2022	50.71	252^nd	684	63.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Parkside Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	36.42	949^th	1463	35.1%
2019	58.82	576^th	1462	60.6%
2021	44.06	700^th	1308	46.5%
2022	20.75	1216^th	1425	14.7%
2023	29.82	1052^nd	1419	25.9%
2024	20.33	1180^th	1392	15.2%

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 Parkside Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	217	5	n/a	4	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	226
1990	226	2	4	3	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	235
1991	234	4	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	245
1992	383	16	5	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	410
1993	424	22	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	448
1994	423	27	5	2	2	n/a	n/a	0	459
1995	390	18	10	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	425
1996	390	18	10	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	425
1997	399	21	6	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	428
1998	373	23	2	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	407
1999	364	22	0	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	395
2000	270	21	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	295
2001	273	36	8	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	323
2002	265	40	6	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	324
2003	265	40	6	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	324
2004	220	39	8	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	274
2005	221	42	8	11	1	n/a	n/a	16	299
2006	219	51	4	13	1	n/a	n/a	16	304
2007	217	74	5	15	2	n/a	n/a	5	318
2008	212	73	3	14	2	n/a	n/a	38	342
2009	207	73	6	20	1	n/a	n/a	46	353
2010	209	69	6	22	1	n/a	n/a	40	347
2011	202	45	2	23	1	0	30	0	303
2012	195	52	3	20	1	1	25	0	297
2013	199	42	5	28	0	1	27	0	302
2014	215	59	5	24	0	1	28	0	332
2015	218	62	6	25	0	0	29	0	340
2016	212	75	10	32	0	0	28	0	357
2017	188	81	9	39	0	0	25	0	342
2018	178	77	4	31	0	0	24	0	314
2019	166	64	3	38	0	0	19	0	290
2020	177	58	1	36	0	0	18	0	290
2021	144	49	0	48	0	0	16	0	257
2022	171	59	4	47	0	0	23	0	304
2023	173	46	4	46	0	0	23	0	292
2024	166	49	4	57	0	0	33	0	309

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 Parkside Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	226	12.9	17.5	n/a
1990	235	12.7	18.5	n/a
1991	245	18.5	13.2	n/a
1992	410	26.0	15.7	n/a
1993	448	22.0	20.4	n/a
1994	459	22.0	20.9	n/a
1995	425	24.0	17.7	n/a
1996	425	24.0	17.7	n/a
1997	428	27.0	15.9	n/a
1998	407	27.0	15.1	n/a
1999	395	27.0	14.6	n/a
2000	295	21.5	13.7	n/a
2001	323	24.4	13.2	n/a
2002	324	23.6	13.7	24.1
2003	324	23.6	13.7	24.1
2004	274	19.0	14.4	26.6
2005	299	20.0	15.0	35.3
2006	304	21.0	14.5	40.3
2007	318	16.0	19.9	40.3
2008	342	16.0	21.4	48
2009	353	22.0	16.0	54.7
2010	347	24.0	14.4	53.1
2011	303	20.0	15.1	51.8
2012	297	20.0	14.8	45.5
2013	302	22.9	13.1	48.7
2014	332	20.9	15.8	55.1
2015	340	22.0	15.4	55
2016	357	23.0	15.5	53.8
2017	342	22.9	14.9	52.9
2018	314	22.6	13.8	56.7
2019	290	21.9	13.2	55.9
2020	290	22.5	12.8	56.6
2021	257	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	304	22.3	13.6	52
2023	292	21.7	13.4	53.8
2024	309	22.9	13.4	55.7

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 Parkside Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	226	12.9	17.5	n/a
1990	235	12.7	18.5	n/a
1991	245	18.5	13.2	n/a
1992	410	26.0	15.7	n/a
1993	448	22.0	20.4	n/a
1994	459	22.0	20.9	n/a
1995	425	24.0	17.7	n/a
1996	425	24.0	17.7	n/a
1997	428	27.0	15.9	n/a
1998	407	27.0	15.1	n/a
1999	395	27.0	14.6	n/a
2000	295	21.5	13.7	n/a
2001	323	24.4	13.2	n/a
2002	324	23.6	13.7	24.1
2003	324	23.6	13.7	24.1
2004	274	19.0	14.4	26.6
2005	299	20.0	15.0	35.3
2006	304	21.0	14.5	40.3
2007	318	16.0	19.9	40.3
2008	342	16.0	21.4	48
2009	353	22.0	16.0	54.7
2010	347	24.0	14.4	53.1
2011	303	20.0	15.1	51.8
2012	297	20.0	14.8	45.5
2013	302	22.9	13.1	48.7
2014	332	20.9	15.8	55.1
2015	340	22.0	15.4	55
2016	357	23.0	15.5	53.8
2017	342	22.9	14.9	52.9
2018	314	22.6	13.8	56.7
2019	290	21.9	13.2	55.9
2020	290	22.5	12.8	56.6
2021	257	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	304	22.3	13.6	52
2023	292	21.7	13.4	53.8
2024	309	22.9	13.4	55.7

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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