Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Vandalia

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
Downtown Vandalia IL 1Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−
Schools in Vandalia · Vandalia Community Unit School District 203

Vandalia’s public schools score below 52% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation

17% of students in Vandalia’s public schools are proficient in math, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the public school district serving Vandalia, 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.

#467of 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
27%
▼ 3 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
17%
▼ 9 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
85–89%
▼ 1–3 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$16.1K
▼ 25% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
12.6
IL 13.6 · smaller classes
Schools in town
0
1,465 students on the public path
In brief

Vandalia’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 529 Illinois towns with household incomes within a quarter of Vandalia’s, its schools beat 64%, higher than their 48% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2021, 27% of tested students were proficient in reading and 17% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

85–89% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois (the state reports Vandalia’s rate as a range). Districts ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $16,121 per student, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one middle and one high school

From grade 4 the district’s path is Vandalia Junior High School, then Vandalia Community High School. 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 Vandalia’s grade

C+ Test scoresC+ Graduation

B−: better than 48% of Illinois school districts, #467 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 48%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (529)Better than 64%
CBA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 694 test results and a graduating class of 112 could put Vandalia anywhere from C to B. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Vandalia’s students in the tested grades sat them (689 in math, 699 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–3Vandalia Elementary SchoolVandalia Community Unit School District 203B+
4–8Vandalia Junior High SchoolVandalia Community Unit School District 203C+
9–12Vandalia Community High SchoolVandalia Community Unit School District 203C+

Vandalia’s public schools are run by Vandalia Community Unit School District 203, which also serves Bear Grove, Fillmore Consolidated, Kaskaskia and Sefton and others. 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.

Test scores · 2020–21

Below the state in reading

Reading27%
State average 29.9% · 699 students tested
Math17%
State average 25.8% · 689 students tested

Vandalia vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
VandaliaB−Vandalia Community Unit School District 203
Sefton—Brownstown Community Unit School District 201 PK–12 · Vandalia Community Unit School District 203 PK–12
SharonB−Vandalia Community Unit School District 203 PK–12 · Ramsey Community Unit School District 204 PK–12

All 2 neighbors share Vandalia Community Unit School District 203 with Vandalia, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.

Every school in Vandalia

3 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 Vandaliain other towns

Questions about Vandalia’s schools

Are Vandalia’s schools good?

On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Vandalia children attend score below 52% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B− Schools grade, #467 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 64%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Vandalia in?

Vandalia Community Unit School District 203, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 1,465 students in 3 schools (2024–25).

Where do Vandalia kids go to high school?

Vandalia Community High School, with 411 students; its own test results earn a C+.

What is Vandalia’s graduation rate?

85–89% of the class of 2023 in Vandalia Community Unit School District 203 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Vandalia spend per student?

$16,121 in Vandalia Community Unit School District 203 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Vandalia families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Vandalia → 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.