Athens Senior High School Principal Mr. Matt Rhoades (2023) | Athens Senior High School
Athens Senior High School Principal Mr. Matt Rhoades (2023) | Athens Senior High School
That's according to a Sangamon Sun analysis of 2023 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 81.7% of Menard County's 82 public high school students — approximately 66 students — failed the math 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.
Athens Senior High School, the only Menard County high school, registered its highest failure (83.6%) rate during 2021, and the lowest (79.2%) in 2022.
Countywide, math test failure rates fell from 83.5% in 2021 to 81.7% in 2023.
Statewide, failure rates increased the most in Wayne County, Greene County, Sangamon County, Pike County, and Pulaski County, where the percentage of students who failed the math exam rose to 74.1%, 86.4%, 95.6%, 96.7%, and 100%, respectively.
Statewide, 75.6% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state math exam, up from 64% in 2021.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Senior High School | 82 | 83.6% | 79.2% | 81.7% |
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