Chief Education Officer Jason Helfer (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
Chief Education Officer Jason Helfer (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
That's according to a Chambana Sun analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 43.9% of Champaign County's 10,783 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.
Prairieview-Ogden South Elementary School (66.6%), Unity Junior High School (54.7%) and J.W. Eater Junior High School (54.3%) had the highest failure rates in Champaign County. Meanwhile, Prairieview-Ogden North Elementary School (23.6%) and Prairieview-Ogden Junior High School (18.9%) had the lowest.
Of 43 Champaign County high schools, 33, including Gifford Grade School, Stratton Elementary School, and Heritage Junior High And Elementary School had passing rates of more than 50%.
Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 45.3% in 2021 to 43.9% in 2023.
The failure rate rose in 23 Champaign County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Garden Hills Elementary School (46.6%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairieview-Ogden South Elementary School | 87 | 74.6% | 56.9% | 66.6% |
| Unity Junior High School | 340 | 51.7% | 58.6% | 54.7% |
| J.W. Eater Junior High School | 506 | 48.8% | 43.4% | 54.3% |
| Broadmeadow Elementary School | 122 | 30.1% | 42.3% | 53.3% |
| Unity West School | 212 | 56.1% | 58.3% | 51.4% |
| Thomasboro Grade School | 82 | 54.4% | 48.3% | 51.2% |
| Fisher Grade School | 176 | 57.4% | 54.1% | 51.1% |
| St. Joseph Elementary School | 149 | 46.6% | 50% | 50.4% |
| Lincoln Trail Elementary School | 774 | 53.6% | 51% | 50% |
| Ludlow Elementary School | 40 | 64.8% | 45.7% | 50% |
| Gifford Grade School | 101 | 55.5% | 50% | 49.5% |
| Stratton Elementary School | 243 | 47.8% | 33.2% | 48.9% |
| Heritage Junior High And Elementary School | 156 | 42.1% | 51.6% | 48.7% |
| Jefferson Middle School | 719 | 43.1% | 43.7% | 48.1% |
| Wiley Elementary School | 107 | 47% | 44.1% | 47.6% |
| Thomas Paine Elementary School | 120 | 36% | 31.3% | 46.7% |
| Garden Hills Elementary School | 161 | 32.5% | 30.5% | 46.6% |
| Leal Elementary School | 165 | 41.6% | 36.2% | 46.1% |
| Northview Elementary School | 123 | 32.9% | 40.9% | 44.7% |
| South Side Elementary School | 142 | 54% | 53.9% | 44.4% |
| Urbana Middle School | 832 | 39.9% | 41.7% | 43.8% |
| Edison Middle School | 686 | 45% | 43.1% | 43.5% |
| Unity East School | 101 | 48.6% | 44.7% | 43.5% |
| Kenwood Elementary School | 160 | 19.5% | 36% | 43.1% |
| Westview Elementary School | 225 | 51.2% | 44.1% | 43.1% |
| Bottenfield Elementary School | 232 | 44.1% | 40.1% | 41.8% |
| International Prep Academy | 306 | 48.6% | 42.8% | 41.8% |
| Franklin Middle School | 636 | 44.1% | 43.5% | 41.7% |
| Pleasant Acres Elementary School | 125 | 33.3% | 35.8% | 41.6% |
| Robeson Elementary School | 219 | 37.5% | 41.6% | 41.5% |
| Dr. Howard Elementary School | 173 | 30.2% | 28.3% | 40.5% |
| Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School | 794 | 51.6% | 52.8% | 39.9% |
| Vernon L. Barkstall Elementary School | 200 | 39.1% | 38.6% | 39% |
| M.L. King Junior Elementary School | 127 | 33.3% | 34.5% | 38.5% |
| Washington Elementary School | 167 | 26.9% | 27.3% | 37.8% |
| Eastlawn Elementary School | 130 | 29.7% | 32.3% | 34.6% |
| Yankee Ridge Elementary School | 190 | 47.1% | 38.3% | 32.7% |
| Fisher Junior/Senior High School | 99 | 30.7% | 46.9% | 31.3% |
| Carrie Busey Elementary School | 215 | 39.7% | 32.7% | 31.2% |
| St. Joseph Middle School | 342 | 35.9% | 41.5% | 30.1% |
| Dr. Preston L. Williams Junior Elementary School | 212 | 29.1% | 28.5% | 26.4% |
| Prairieview-Ogden North Elementary School | 34 | 40.5% | 40.5% | 23.6% |
| Prairieview-Ogden Junior High School | 53 | 45.9% | 27.3% | 18.9% |
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