Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Locust Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Owaneco FPD and Locust Township garage 2026-07-03Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−
Schools in Locust Township · Taylorville Community Unit School District 3, Pana Community Unit School District 8

Locust Township’s public schools score below 51% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation

16% of students in Locust Township’s public schools are proficient in math, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Locust Township, 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.

#460of 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
33%
▲ 3 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
16%
▼ 10 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
85–89%
▼ 1–3 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$14.4K
▼ 33% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024 · Taylorville Community Unit School District 3
Students per teacher
14.4
IL 13.6 · larger classes
Schools in town
0
3,034 students on the public path
In brief

Locust Township’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 1493 Illinois towns with household incomes within a quarter of Locust Township’s, its schools beat 54%, higher than their 49% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state in reading, below in math

Reading proficiency is 33% and math 16% across both districts in spring 2021, against 30% and 26% statewide; 85–89% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

Taylorville Community Unit School District 3 spends $14,364 per student and Pana Community Unit School District 8 $15,082, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

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 Locust Township’s grade

B− Test scoresC+ Graduation

B−: better than 49% of Illinois school districts, #460 of 768 Illinois towns. Both inputs trail the Illinois average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.

Illinois school districts we grade (887)Better than 49%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (1493)Better than 54%
Towns in Christian County (17)Better than 59%
CBA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 1,720 test results and a graduating class of 179 could put Locust Township anywhere from C to B. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Locust Township’s students in the tested grades sat them (1,743 in math, 1,697 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–52 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressB+
6–82 middle schoolsDepends on your addressB− to B
9–122 high schoolsDepends on your addressC to C+

Locust Township runs its own schools through grade 12 (Taylorville Community Unit School District 3). From grade PK, students attend the Pana Community Unit School District 8, shared with Cold Spring, Oconee, Oconee, Pana, Pana, Rosamond, Tower Hill and Tower Hill. Its elementary school is in Taylorville. Parts of Locust Township (12% of its land) are served by Central A & M Community Unit School District 21 instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Two districts serve Locust Township

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

Taylorville Community Unit School District 3Grades PK–12 · 4 schools · 2,172 students, down 7% since 2020–21 · 14.7 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$14,364IL $21,567 · FY2024
B−
Pana Community Unit School District 8Grades PK–12 · 3 schools · 1,159 students, up 23% since 2020–21 · 13.9 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$15,082IL $21,567 · FY2024
B−
Test scores · 2020–21

Above the state in reading

Reading · PK–12, Taylorville Community Unit School District 333%
State average 29.9% · 1097 students tested
Math · PK–12, Taylorville Community Unit School District 314%
State average 25.8% · 1145 students tested
Reading · PK–12, Pana Community Unit School District 834%
State average 29.9% · 600 students tested
Math · PK–12, Pana Community Unit School District 820%
State average 25.8% · 598 students tested

Locust Township vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Locust TownshipB−Taylorville Community Unit School District 3 PK–12 · Pana Community Unit School District 8 PK–12
Johnson—Taylorville Community Unit School District 3
Assumption—Central A & M Community Unit School District 21
MayB−Taylorville Community Unit School District 3
Rosamond—Pana Community Unit School District 8

2 of the 4 neighbors share Taylorville Community Unit School District 3 with Locust Township for grades PK–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Locust Township

6 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 Locust Townshipin other towns
North Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–2 · Taylorville
522 students15:1Rate it →
Pana Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Pana
B+
507 students14:1Rate it →
Taylorville Jr High School
Middle · Grades 5–8 · Taylorville
B
614 students14:1Rate it →
Pana Jr High School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Pana
B−
248 students11:1Rate it →
Taylorville Sr High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Taylorville
C
739 students15:1Rate it →
Pana Sr High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Pana
C+
404 students15:1Rate it →

Questions about Locust Township’s schools

Are Locust Township’s schools good?

On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Locust Township children attend score below 51% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B− Schools grade, #460 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 54%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Locust Township in?

Two districts: Taylorville Community Unit School District 3 runs grades PK–12, and Pana Community Unit School District 8 runs grades PK–12, shared with Cold Spring, Oconee, Oconee, Pana, Pana, Rosamond, Tower Hill and Tower Hill.

Where do Locust Township kids go to high school?

One of 2 high schools, depending on your address: Taylorville Sr High School and Pana Sr High School.

What is Locust Township’s graduation rate?

85–89% of the class of 2023 in Taylorville Community Unit School District 3 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Locust Township spend per student?

$14,364 in Taylorville Community Unit School District 3 and $15,082 in Pana Community Unit School District 8 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Locust Township families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Locust Township → 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.