Central High School Principal Mr. Marc Shaner (2023) | Central High School
Central High School Principal Mr. Marc Shaner (2023) | Central 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, 71.7% of Iroquois County's 276 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.
Iroquois West High School (84.3%), Cissna Park Senior High School (77.7%) and Central High School (73%) had the highest failure rates in Iroquois County in the 2023-24 school year. Meanwhile, Donovan Senior High School (64.7%) and Watseka Community High School (57.2%) had the lowest.
Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 74% in the 2022-23 school year to 71.7% in the 2023-24 school year.
The failure rate rose in three Iroquois County high schools in the 2023-24 school year, with the most significant increase happening at Central High School, where the failure rate rose by 11%, reaching 73% 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%.
Iroquois West High School, Donovan Senior High School, and Watseka Community High School were the Iroquois 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iroquois West High School | 76 | 89.5% | 84.3% |
| Cissna Park Senior High School | 18 | 72% | 77.7% |
| Central High School | 63 | 62% | 73% |
| Milford High School Campus | 39 | 64.8% | 69.2% |
| Donovan Senior High School | 17 | 82.6% | 64.7% |
| Watseka Community High School | 63 | 70.3% | 57.2% |
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