Parsons Elementary School

www.dps61.org

505 Students

Elementary School K - 6th

School Overview

Parsons Accelerated School, located on North MacArthur Road in Decatur, Illinois, is an alternative educational facility within the Decatur Public Schools district. The school is specifically designed to provide a supportive, focused environment for students who may struggle in a traditional classroom setting. Its primary mission is to help students get back on track academically, offering smaller class sizes and a curriculum tailored to credit recovery and accelerated learning, allowing students to work toward graduation at a pace that suits their individual needs.

Beyond academics, Parsons Accelerated School places a strong emphasis on social-emotional support and personal development. By fostering a smaller, more intimate school community, the faculty is able to provide more individualized attention, mentorship, and behavioral guidance. The ultimate goal of the program is to re-engage students who have become disengaged from the standard school system, ensuring they develop the necessary skills, credits, and confidence to either return to a traditional high school setting or successfully earn their high school diploma.

505

Total Students

32.0

Full-Time Teachers

15.8

Student/Teacher Ratio

N/A

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Parsons Elementary School
Demographic	Student Count
White	134
Hispanic	29
Black	248
Asian	1
Two or More	87
American Indian	6

Black
248 (49.1%)
White
134 (26.5%)
Two or More
87 (17.2%)
Hispanic
29 (5.7%)
American Indian
6 (1.2%)
Asian
1 (0.2%)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	Decatur SD 61
Phone:	(217)362-3330
Website:	http://www.dps61.org
Grade Range:	K - 6th
Total Students:	505
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	32.0
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	15.8
NSLP Participation:¹	Yes under Community Eligibility Option (CEO)
Qualified Free Lunch:	0
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	0

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Kindergarten 88

Grade 1 73

Grade 2 73

Grade 3 72

Grade 4 79

Grade 5 66

Grade 6 54