Learning, Belonging, and Thriving: Pleasant Hill Celebrates Report Card Progress
October 31, 2026
Pleasant Hill CUSD #3’s 2025–26 Illinois School Report Card highlights academic growth, improved attendance, and opportunities for students to prepare for their futures. These results connect to our district’s vision: Every student will learn, belong, and thrive.
The report card also helps guide our school improvement work. By examining student achievement, growth, attendance, and other indicators, we can recognize progress and identify where students need additional support.
Learn: Building Skills and Strengthening Instruction
Pleasant Hill Elementary earned a Commendable summative designation, recognizing solid overall school performance. Students also demonstrated above-average growth on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, with average growth percentiles of 51.8 in English language arts and 57.8 in mathematics, compared with the Illinois average of 50. This means reading growth was slightly above average, while math growth was a stronger area of success compared with Illinois students who had similar previous test scores. These figures measure relative learning progress—not proficiency or national rankings—and help guide our continued work to strengthen instruction and support every student.
Our school improvement initiative builds on this progress through a focus on strong daily instruction, relationships, and using data to respond to students’ needs. Teachers are strengthening literacy instruction through Amplify CKLA, collaborating during professional learning, and examining assessment results and student work to plan instruction.
This year’s professional development emphasizes data-driven instruction and cooperative learning. These practices help teachers identify what students are ready to learn next and create structured opportunities for students to participate, discuss, and learn together.
Belong: Strengthening Connections and Attendance
District chronic absenteeism declined from 31.7% to 21.3%. At the high school, it fell from 42.6% to 22.4%—nearly cut in half. Elementary chronic absenteeism also improved, decreasing from 27.0% to 20.9%.
Chronic absenteeism means missing at least 10% of school days for any reason. Reducing those absences gives students more opportunities to receive instruction, build friendships, and connect with caring adults.
The district’s reported 89.9% teacher retention rate, a three-year average, also supports continuity in learning and relationships.
Together, improved attendance and a stable teaching staff create more opportunities for students to learn, build friendships, and develop trusting relationships with caring adults. These results support our school improvement focus on relationships and strong daily instruction: students benefit from being present and connected to teachers who know them. Our continued work centers on partnering with families to sustain these gains and help every student feel that they belong.
Thrive: Connecting Learning to the Future
The report card identifies 72 Career and Technical Education participants and 51 CTE concentrators at Pleasant Hill High School. These courses help students explore career interests and develop practical skills.
Preparing students for their next steps begins with strong foundational skills and continues through opportunities to apply their learning. Our improvement work supports that preparation by strengthening classroom instruction, student engagement, and access to support.
Celebrating Progress and Continuing the Work
These results reflect the efforts of students, staff, and families. They also remind us that school improvement is ongoing. Academic growth is encouraging, while achievement and attendance data help us determine where additional attention is needed.
We will continue reviewing state assessment results alongside classroom work, MAP assessments, early literacy measures, and attendance information to monitor progress and adjust support.
Families and community members can explore the full Pleasant Hill CUSD #3 Illinois School Report Card, including individual school results.
Together, we are working toward a shared commitment: Every student will learn, belong, and thrive.
