American Dreamer STEM Academy

American Dreamer STEM Academy is a primary school of average-sized scale in Decatur, Illinois, part of Decatur SD 61, serveing 423 students in grades K through 8.

Across the 15 schools in Decatur SD 61 (7,840 students total), American Dreamer STEM Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, American Dreamer STEM Academy shows that 67% of the student body identifies as Black; the rest consists of 17% White, 14% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. By comparison, Macon County as a whole is about 16% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school reports having 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting American Dreamer STEM Academy higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 89% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is above Macon County's rate of about 61%.

After controlling for student poverty, American Dreamer STEM Academy performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 20.1%, the actual is 11.8%, a residual of -8.3 points.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Macon County indicate the typical household earns roughly $62,666 per year, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Macon County runs 43 public schools (combined enrollment of about 14,702 students), of which American Dreamer STEM Academy is one.

Dennis Lab School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.3 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), American Dreamer STEM Academy ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 10.4%.

American Dreamer STEM Academy operates from a downtown location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at American Dreamer STEM Academy has climbed 44%, going from 293 students in 2018 to 423 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment contracted from 79% to 67% over that span.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.