Is South Prairie Elementary School a good school?

South Prairie Elementary School ranks 945 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend South Prairie Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 367 students attended South Prairie Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of South Prairie Elementary School?

Students at South Prairie Elementary School are 72% White, 16% Hispanic, 5% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of South Prairie Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Prairie Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Sycamore Middle School High : Sycamore High School

South Prairie Elementary School

Summary:

South Prairie Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Sycamore, Illinois, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 306 students. The school is part of the Sycamore CUSD 427 district, which is ranked 321 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While South Prairie Elementary School has consistently lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) compared to the district and state averages, its Mathematics proficiency rates are relatively stronger. The school's performance is particularly low in 3rd and 5th grade ELA assessments, but it ranks 271 out of 1,195 Illinois elementary schools in serving its special education students. The school also faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, which have increased significantly in recent years. However, the school's higher per-student spending and lower student-teacher ratio suggest a focus on providing additional resources to support student learning.

Compared to nearby schools within the Sycamore CUSD 427 district, such as North Grove Elementary School and North Elementary School, South Prairie Elementary School generally underperforms in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates. However, the school performs better than the nearby schools in the DeKalb CUSD 428 district, which have significantly lower proficiency rates across the board.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

820 Borden Ave
Sycamore, IL 60178-3270

(815) 899-8299

District: Sycamore CUSD 427

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,282

Students who attend South Prairie Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Sycamore Middle School
High:	Sycamore High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.3

Number of students: 367

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.5%

Hispanic:

16.1%

African American:

5.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 36.2%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare South Prairie Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details South Prairie Elementary School ranks better than 54.3% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 4^th among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Sycamore CUSD 427 School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 49.65. (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 (72.5%), Hispanic (16.1%), African American (5.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 36.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at South Prairie Elementary School is 13.3. 2 elementary schools in the Sycamore CUSD 427 School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare South Prairie Elementary School employs 27.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at South Prairie Elementary School is $15,282, which is the 2^nd highest among 5 elementary schools in the Sycamore CUSD 427 School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

South Prairie Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks South Prairie Elementary School 945^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See South Prairie Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Sycamore CUSD 427:

SchoolDigger ranks Sycamore CUSD 427 321^st of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for South Prairie Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at South Prairie Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	76.92	467^th	2020	76.9%
2004	75.43	505^th	2030	75.1%
2005	71.20	632^nd	2022	68.7%
2006	68.28	770^th	2086	63.1%
2007	62.52	961^st	2095	54.1%
2008	61.04	1009^th	2092	51.8%
2009	63.16	957^th	2120	54.9%
2010	56.67	1128^th	2139	47.3%
2011	51.40	1249^th	2147	41.8%
2012	56.83	1116^th	2166	48.5%
2013	45.99	1248^th	2167	42.4%
2014	49.40	1120^th	2093	46.5%
2015	53.63	827^th	2052	59.7%
2016	62.46	687^th	2046	66.4%
2017	56.00	833^rd	2044	59.2%
2018	42.70	1105^th	2037	45.8%
2019	54.06	902^nd	2086	56.8%
2021	41.27	1030^th	1948	47.1%
2022	62.44	711^th	2082	65.9%
2023	58.58	769^th	2077	63.0%
2024	49.65	945^th	2067	54.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at South Prairie Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	67.88	271^st	1195	77.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at South Prairie Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	23.49	1553^rd	1816	14.5%
2021	43.32	782^nd	1514	48.3%
2023	62.03	517^th	1808	71.4%
2024	56.29	647^th	1793	63.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at South Prairie Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.13	1135^th	1964	42.2%
2019	47.98	997^th	2019	50.6%
2021	44.19	855^th	1680	49.1%
2022	59.65	699^th	1970	64.5%
2023	58.65	712^th	1957	63.6%
2024	50.73	851^st	1942	56.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at South Prairie Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	45.86	976^th	1972	50.5%
2019	56.16	798^th	2019	60.5%
2021	33.24	1060^th	1707	37.9%
2022	59.48	694^th	1977	64.9%
2023	55.16	786^th	1984	60.4%
2024	47.77	933^rd	1959	52.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at South Prairie Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	34.34	641^st	959	33.2%

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

Rank History for White students at South Prairie Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	39.12	911^th	1463	37.7%
2019	42.45	875^th	1462	40.2%
2021	27.28	1018^th	1308	22.2%
2022	46.36	761^st	1425	46.6%
2023	43.37	813^th	1419	42.7%
2024	36.89	911^th	1392	34.6%

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 South Prairie Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1999	251	10	1	4	2	n/a	n/a	0	268
2000	231	8	6	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	253
2001	243	5	6	19	1	n/a	n/a	0	274
2002	227	10	5	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	277
2003	227	10	5	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	277
2004	254	10	3	33	1	n/a	n/a	0	301
2005	270	9	9	44	5	n/a	n/a	1	338
2006	332	8	10	41	4	n/a	n/a	7	402
2007	347	6	10	30	3	n/a	n/a	12	408
2008	364	6	13	44	3	n/a	n/a	19	449
2009	377	6	12	27	0	n/a	n/a	24	446
2010	274	4	5	8	0	n/a	n/a	11	302
2011	278	2	3	22	0	0	8	0	313
2012	284	4	4	24	0	0	9	0	325
2013	272	9	5	26	0	0	11	0	323
2014	269	8	6	21	1	0	7	0	312
2015	271	10	6	22	1	0	14	0	324
2016	263	15	4	19	1	0	14	0	316
2017	248	13	1	14	1	0	12	0	289
2018	217	11	2	27	0	0	11	0	268
2019	221	11	2	25	0	0	13	0	272
2020	224	16	3	25	0	0	13	0	281
2021	206	18	2	30	1	0	11	0	268
2022	204	18	2	30	1	0	11	0	266
2023	230	14	4	44	1	0	13	0	306
2024	266	20	4	59	1	0	17	0	367

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 South Prairie Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	268	14.6	18.4	n/a
2000	253	19.1	13.2	n/a
2001	274	17.1	16.0	n/a
2002	277	17.8	15.6	18.8
2003	277	17.8	15.6	18.8
2004	301	19.0	15.8	15.3
2005	338	18.6	18.2	15.7
2006	402	21.0	19.1	17.5
2007	408	23.0	17.7	15.7
2008	449	27.0	16.6	20.9
2009	446	30.0	14.9	19.9
2010	302	16.4	18.4	21
2011	313	18.8	16.5	24
2012	325	17.0	19.1	25.2
2013	323	24.7	13.0	24.1
2014	312	18.9	16.4	24
2015	324	20.0	16.2	21.6
2016	316	22.0	14.3	22.8
2017	289	20.7	13.9	22.5
2018	268	20.4	13.1	25
2019	272	21.0	12.9	25.7
2020	281	24.0	11.7	23.5
2021	268	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	266	22.0	12.0	18.8
2023	306	23.7	12.8	35.3
2024	367	27.5	13.3	36.2

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 South Prairie Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	268	14.6	18.4	n/a
2000	253	19.1	13.2	n/a
2001	274	17.1	16.0	n/a
2002	277	17.8	15.6	18.8
2003	277	17.8	15.6	18.8
2004	301	19.0	15.8	15.3
2005	338	18.6	18.2	15.7
2006	402	21.0	19.1	17.5
2007	408	23.0	17.7	15.7
2008	449	27.0	16.6	20.9
2009	446	30.0	14.9	19.9
2010	302	16.4	18.4	21
2011	313	18.8	16.5	24
2012	325	17.0	19.1	25.2
2013	323	24.7	13.0	24.1
2014	312	18.9	16.4	24
2015	324	20.0	16.2	21.6
2016	316	22.0	14.3	22.8
2017	289	20.7	13.9	22.5
2018	268	20.4	13.1	25
2019	272	21.0	12.9	25.7
2020	281	24.0	11.7	23.5
2021	268	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	266	22.0	12.0	18.8
2023	306	23.7	12.8	35.3
2024	367	27.5	13.3	36.2

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.

Immunization Rates