Chair of the Board Dr. Steven Isoye (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
Chair of the Board Dr. Steven Isoye (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
That's according to a Sangamon Sun analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 48.1% of Sangamon County's 11,853 public high school students failed the ELA portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and have "minimal (or) incomplete… understanding of the knowledge and skills relative to Illinois Learning Standards."
Students can achieve four proficiencies in their subjects (partially met, approaching, meets, and exceeds standards). This report concludes students who partially met or approached the standards have failed in the subject.
Auburn Middle School (65.8%), Glenwood Intermediate School (61.4%) and Sangamon Valley Middle School (61.4%) had the highest failure rates in Sangamon County. Meanwhile, Iles Elementary School (26.9%) and Sherman Elementary School (26.8%) had the lowest.
Of 53 Sangamon County high schools, 32, including Pleasant Plains Middle School, Auburn Junior High At Divernon, and Benjamin Franklin Middle School had passing rates of more than 50%.
Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 52% in 2021 to 48.1% in 2023.
The failure rate rose in 23 Sangamon County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Fairview Elementary School (53.7%).
Data shows that the highest failure rates growths were seen in Christian County (72.5%), Hancock County (73.8%), Cook County (74.1%), White County (74.1%), and Morgan County (76.7%).
Statewide, 39.9% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state English exam, down from 64% in 2019.
The SAT test is administered to Illinois high school sophomores "to fulfill the requirement that students take an assessment for college and career readiness in order to receive a regular high school diploma."
| High School | # of Students | Failing % in 2021 | Failing % in 2022 | Failing % in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Middle School | 213 | 63.6% | 59.2% | 65.8% |
| Glenwood Intermediate School | 699 | 54.9% | 56.8% | 61.4% |
| Sangamon Valley Middle School | 153 | 57% | 59.2% | 61.4% |
| Rochester Intermediate School | 422 | 64.4% | 65.5% | 60.2% |
| Ridgely Elementary School | 115 | 51.5% | 50.8% | 58.3% |
| Farmingdale Elementary School | 180 | 52.3% | 50.3% | 57.7% |
| Pawnee Junior/Senior High School | 85 | 58.1% | 50% | 57.7% |
| Springfield Ball Charter School | 264 | 56% | 59.5% | 57.2% |
| Hazel Dell Elementary School | 50 | 51.3% | 56.1% | 56% |
| Glenwood Middle School | 733 | 56.5% | 56.4% | 55.4% |
| Pawnee Grade School | 154 | 62.2% | 53.7% | 55.2% |
| Wilcox Elementary School | 104 | 46.9% | 47.1% | 53.8% |
| Fairview Elementary School | 132 | 50% | 37.8% | 53.7% |
| U.S. Grant Middle School | 528 | 58.8% | 51.1% | 53.6% |
| Sangamon Valley Intermediate School | 138 | 46.4% | 48.9% | 52.9% |
| Harvard Park Elementary School | 172 | 30.7% | 41% | 52.3% |
| Rochester Elementary 2-3 | 131 | 63.2% | 41.8% | 51.2% |
| Dubois Elementary School | 200 | 41.4% | 42.3% | 50% |
| Jane Addams Elementary School | 134 | 47% | 48% | 50% |
| Laketown Elementary School | 68 | 50% | 52.2% | 50% |
| Rochester Junior High School | 334 | 59.3% | 60.5% | 50% |
| Pleasant Plains Middle School | 376 | 63.8% | 65% | 49.7% |
| Auburn Junior High At Divernon | 240 | 59.8% | 56.3% | 49.6% |
| Benjamin Franklin Middle School | 679 | 46% | 45.2% | 48.6% |
| Riverton Elementary School | 139 | 45.6% | 39.6% | 48.2% |
| Edwin A. Lee Elementary School | 52 | 36% | 40.3% | 48.1% |
| Black Hawk Elementary School | 121 | 63% | 48.2% | 47.9% |
| Southern View Elementary School | 61 | 47.5% | 60.2% | 47.6% |
| Ball Elementary School | 209 | 48% | 51% | 46.9% |
| Riverton Middle School | 352 | 53.4% | 49.4% | 46.6% |
| New Berlin Elementary School | 166 | 55% | 53.3% | 46.4% |
| Cantrall Intermediate School | 203 | 48.6% | 50.3% | 45.8% |
| Elizabeth Graham Elementary School | 99 | 44.1% | 41.2% | 45.5% |
| Sandburg Elementary School | 119 | 39% | 43.8% | 45.3% |
| Chatham Elementary School | 185 | 48.1% | 49.3% | 44.3% |
| Jefferson Middle School | 493 | 50.5% | 45.6% | 44.2% |
| Washington Middle School | 495 | 51.2% | 46.1% | 44.1% |
| Glenwood Elementary School | 241 | 47% | 53.9% | 43.5% |
| McClernand Elementary School | 84 | 43.1% | 35.6% | 41.7% |
| Lindsay School | 191 | 56.1% | 46.4% | 41.3% |
| Tri-City Elementary School | 126 | 52.6% | 44.3% | 41.3% |
| Butler Elementary School | 162 | 59.4% | 42.9% | 40.7% |
| Feitshans Elementary School | 156 | 31.6% | 38% | 40.4% |
| Tri-City Junior High School | 112 | 50.9% | 54.7% | 40.2% |
| Matheny-Withrow Elementary School | 98 | 35.5% | 38.7% | 38.8% |
| Enos Elementary School | 130 | 47.3% | 44.7% | 38.4% |
| New Berlin Junior High School | 167 | 56.6% | 61.6% | 36.6% |
| Williamsville Junior High School | 461 | 46% | 39.9% | 36.3% |
| Owen Marsh Elementary School | 143 | 45.3% | 37.4% | 32.2% |
| Cantrall Elementary School | 56 | 40.3% | 35.9% | 32.1% |
| Lincoln Magnet School | 292 | 38.2% | 36.3% | 29.1% |
| Iles Elementary School | 249 | 31.7% | 29.7% | 26.9% |
| Sherman Elementary School | 187 | 40.6% | 37.6% | 26.8% |
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