Dekalb High School Principal Dr. Donna Larson (2023) | Dekalb High School
Dekalb High School Principal Dr. Donna Larson (2023) | Dekalb High School
That's according to an analysis from Lake County Gazette of test scores compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that in the 2023-24 school year, 74.6% of DeKalb County's 1,230 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.
Genoa-Kingston High School (80.2%), Hiawatha Junior/Senior High School (80%) and Dekalb High School (79.7%) had the highest failure rates in DeKalb County in the 2023-24 school year. Meanwhile, Sycamore High School (65%) and Somonauk High School (63%) had the lowest.
Countywide, English test failure rates rose from 71.8% in the 2022-23 school year to 74.6% in the 2023-24 school year.
The failure rate rose in six DeKalb County high schools in the 2023-24 school year, with the most significant increase happening at Hinckley-Big Rock High School, where the failure rate rose by 14.6%, reaching 76.1% overall.
Data shows that the largest growth in failure rates occurred in Vermilion County, which increased by 20.8% to 89.7%; Clark County, which grew by 22% to 89.3%; Kendall County, which increased by 24.1% to 89.4%; Fayette County, which grew by 24.6% to 91.2%; and Shelby County, which increased by 27.3% to 92.3%.
Hiawatha Junior/Senior High School and Somonauk High School were the DeKalb County high schools to see improvements between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.
Statewide, 67.7% of Illinois students failed the 2023-24 school year state English exam, down from 68.4% in the 2022-23 school year.
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 | Student Count | Failure Rate in 2022-23 School Year | Failure Rate in 2023-24 School Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genoa-Kingston High School | 126 | 72.9% | 80.2% |
| Hiawatha Junior/Senior High School | 25 | 87.5% | 80% |
| Dekalb High School | 502 | 79.3% | 79.7% |
| Hinckley-Big Rock High School | 46 | 61.5% | 76.1% |
| Indian Creek High School | 58 | 73.2% | 75.9% |
| Sandwich Community High School | 139 | 72.2% | 73.4% |
| Sycamore High School | 280 | 60% | 65% |
| Somonauk High School | 54 | 73% | 63% |
Alerts Sign-up