Kewanee High School Principal Rebecca Baney (2023) | Kewanee High School
Kewanee High School Principal Rebecca Baney (2023) | Kewanee 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, 70.1% of Henry County's 532 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.
Kewanee High School (84.5%), Cambridge Junior/Senior High School (82.7%) and Galva Junior/Senior High School (76.5%) had the highest failure rates in Henry County in the 2023-24 school year. Meanwhile, Wethersfield Junior/Senior High School had the lowest (51.6%) and Annawan High School (40%).
Countywide, English test failure rates rose from 68.1% in the 2022-23 school year to 70.1% in the 2023-24 school year.
The failure rate rose in four Henry County high schools in the 2023-24 school year, with the most significant increase happening at Geneseo High School, where the failure rate rose by 7.8%, reaching 66% 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%.
Alwood Middle/High School, Orion High School, Wethersfield Junior/Senior High School, and Annawan High School were the Henry 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kewanee High School | 135 | 80.7% | 84.5% |
| Cambridge Junior/Senior High School | 29 | 75% | 82.7% |
| Galva Junior/Senior High School | 34 | 75.9% | 76.5% |
| Alwood Middle/High School | 25 | 77.4% | 72% |
| Geneseo High School | 188 | 58.2% | 66% |
| Orion High School | 65 | 66.2% | 63% |
| Wethersfield Junior/Senior High School | 31 | 52.7% | 51.6% |
| Annawan High School | 25 | 75% | 40% |
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