Enrollment
182
Elementary
DISTRICT 162 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST PRAIRIE CUSD 103·NCES 170031405704
West Prairie South Elementary School
310 S Coal St, Colchester, IL 62326 · (309) 776-3790 · McDonough County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL182 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 70% of Illinois public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.4:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.4:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
47%
85 students
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 56%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 25 | 14% |
| Kindergarten | 23 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 30 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 17 | 9% |
| Grade 3 | 21 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 22 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 15 | 8% |
| Grade 6 | 29 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (23) is 21% smaller than its 6th grade class (29).
Student demographics
1%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
West Prairie South Elementary School→West Prairie Junior High School→West Prairie Senior High School
Based on grade levels within West Prairie CUSD 103. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at West Prairie South Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
69.3%
IL avg 51.0% . +16.8pp since 2023
Math
38.6%
IL avg 37.9% . +13.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 69 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 17 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 14 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 69.3% | 38.6% |
| 2023-24 | 52.5% | 25.0% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
52.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.5%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 45% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like West Prairie South Elementary School
West Prairie South Elementary School's state test result (52.0% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Prairie South Elementary School this school | 182 | 46.7% | 52.0% |
| Lake Crest Elementary School Oakland | 185 | 47.0% | 24.1% |
| Cuba Elementary School Cuba | 188 | 47.9% | 39.1% |
| Beecher City Grade School Beecher City | 196 | 49.5% | 51.9% |
| Waverly Elementary School Waverly | 182 | 44.5% | 19.8% |
| Shipman Elementary School Shipman | 155 | 47.1% | 58.3% |
Matched among Illinois elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where West Prairie South Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In McDonough County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.0% | #526 of 1,925 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.6% | #1,002 of 2,077 ▼ 11 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 69.3% | #364 of 2,077 ▲ 44 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 182 | #2,106 of 2,419 | #4 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 46.7% | #1,391 of 2,132 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
182
+50 (+38%) vs 2020
-2% since 2010-11, when it was 186
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 182 | 15.9 | 11.4:1 | 47% (85) |
| 2023-24 | 178 | 15.9 | 11.2:1 | 48% (85) |
| 2022-23 | 177 | 17 | 10.4:1 | 41% (72) |
| 2020-21 | 132 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 165 | 13.7 | 12.1:1 | 58% (95) |
| 2015-16 | 158 | 11 | 14.4:1 | 52% (82) |
| 2010-11 | 186 | 14 | 13.3:1 | 49% (92) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Prairie South Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (165 to 182); teachers up 16% (13.7 to 15.9).
About West Prairie South Elementary School
West Prairie South Elementary School is an elementary school located in Colchester, Illinois, in McDonough County. Enrollment stands at 182 students, covering pre-K through 6. It has 52% fewer students than the average for elementary schools in Illinois (about 381).
District-wide, West Prairie CUSD 103 has 4 schools and 573 students.
The share of White students at West Prairie South Elementary School is 99%. The county population is about 86% White. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, West Prairie South Elementary School scores 1%.
For every teacher at West Prairie South Elementary School, there are about 11.4 students; the school has 15.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for elementary schools in Illinois is 13.9:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. There are 85 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 47% of enrollment. Across public schools in McDonough County, the average is 56%.
On the allk12 Grade, West Prairie South Elementary School lands at B+, ahead of 70% of Illinois public elementary schools.
West Prairie South Elementary School is 7.4 points above its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results (52.0% versus 44.5%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in Illinois.
In the wider McDonough County area, median household income comes to about $52,795, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of people live in poverty. McDonough County's 19 public schools enroll about 3,250 students and include West Prairie South Elementary School.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, West Prairie Senior High School, is about 0.2 miles. Around the school, 2 other public schools are within five miles. By average proficiency, West Prairie South Elementary School is 2nd among 7 schools close by.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Rural: Distant, meaning it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
In 2020-21, West Prairie South Elementary School enrolled 132 students. By 2024-25, that number had grown to 182.
This page collects posts and questions about West Prairie South Elementary School, such as fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
McDonough County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
26,920
Census ACS
Median income
$52,795
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
3,250 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in West Prairie CUSD 103
- West Prairie Senior High SchoolHigh · 170 students
- West Prairie North Elementary SchoolElementary · 141 students
- West Prairie Junior High SchoolMiddle · 80 students
Other schools in Colchester
- West Prairie Senior High SchoolHigh · 170 students
- West Prairie Junior High SchoolMiddle · 80 students
- Wcisec MdElementary
Nearby schools
- West Prairie Senior High School0.2 mi · 170
- West Prairie Junior High School0.2 mi · 80
- Macomb Middle School6.3 mi · 479
- MacArthur Early Childhood Center6.4 mi · 127
- Macomb Senior High School6.4 mi · 660
- Edison Elementary School7.3 mi · 397
Frequently asked questions
About West Prairie South Elementary SchoolHow large is West Prairie South Elementary School?
West Prairie South Elementary School enrolls approximately 182 students in grades PK-06.
Is West Prairie South Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
West Prairie South Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Prairie South Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at West Prairie South Elementary School is approximately 11.4:1 (16 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at West Prairie South Elementary School?
Student demographics at West Prairie South Elementary School are roughly 99% White, 1% Two or more.
What district is West Prairie South Elementary School in?
West Prairie South Elementary School is part of West Prairie CUSD 103.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.