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Beardstown Grand Opera HousePhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
D
Schools in Beardstown · Beardstown Community Unit School District 15

Beardstown’s public schools score below 90% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation

In Beardstown, 3% of tested students are proficient in math, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the public school district serving Beardstown, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Illinois, not nationally.

#727of 768 Illinois townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From Illinois state tests taken in spring 2021, when nearly all of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
6%
▼ 24 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
3%
▼ 23 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
80–84%
▼ 4–8 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$11.1K
▼ 48% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
16.9
IL 13.6 · larger classes
Schools in town
0
1,531 students on the public path
In brief

Beardstown’s schools, in brief

Results trail the state

In spring 2021, 6% of tested students were proficient in reading and 3% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

80–84% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois (the state reports Beardstown’s rate as a range). Districts ↓

Spending, and where it came from

The district spent $11,140 per student in FY2024, against $21,567 across Illinois. 24% of its revenue that year was federal (Illinois 10%), in the last year of pandemic relief. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one middle school

From grade 5 the district’s path is Beardstown Jr/Sr High School. Enrollment is up 17% since 2020–21. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Beardstown’s grade

D− Test scoresC− Graduation

D: better than 10% of Illinois school districts, #727 of 768 Illinois towns. Both inputs trail the Illinois average; graduation is the closer of the two to typical.

Illinois school districts we grade (887)Better than 10%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (1277)Better than 7%
D−C−A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 669 test results and a graduating class of 109 could put Beardstown anywhere from D− to C−. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Beardstown’s students in the tested grades sat them (686 in math, 652 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Beardstown, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–4Gard Elementary SchoolBeardstown Community Unit School District 15D−
5–12Beardstown Jr/Sr High SchoolBeardstown Community Unit School District 15D

Beardstown’s public schools are run by Beardstown Community Unit School District 15, which also serves Beardstown, Bluff Springs and Hagener. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Beardstown Community Unit School District 15Grades PK–12 · 2 schools · 1,531 students, up 17% since 2020–21 · 16.9 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$11,140IL $21,567 · FY2024
D
Test scores · 2020–21

Well below the state in reading

Reading6%
State average 29.9% · 652 students tested
Math3%
State average 25.8% · 686 students tested
A note on the data.In FY2024, 24% of the Beardstown district’s revenue came from the federal government, against 10% across Illinois, in the last year of federal pandemic relief; spending per student is reported as published.

Beardstown vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Beardstown’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
BeardstownDBeardstown Community Unit School District 15

Every school in Beardstown

2 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Illinois’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

Also serving Beardstownin other towns
Gard Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–4
D−
711 students19:1Rate it →
Beardstown Jr/Sr High School
High · Grades 5–12
D
820 students16:1Rate it →

Questions about Beardstown’s schools

Are Beardstown’s schools good?

On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Beardstown children attend score below 90% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D Schools grade, #727 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 7%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Beardstown in?

Beardstown Community Unit School District 15, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 1,531 students in 2 schools (2024–25).

What is Beardstown’s graduation rate?

80–84% of the class of 2023 in Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Beardstown spend per student?

$11,140 in Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Beardstown families are saying about school.

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Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Beardstown → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2020–21, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Illinois. Stars are from neighbors.