Chambana Sun

Test results show 32.9% of Champaign County students passed the ELA portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The number of Champaign County students who succeeded rose by 16.8% compared to the previous school year.

Woodford County had the highest success rate across the state, with 60.7% of its students passing the ELA portion of the IAR. Schools in Alexander County, on the other hand, performed the worst, with 87.3% of students failing to meet test requirements.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing toward state standards in English language arts and mathematics.

Recent IAR data shows that while Illinois students improved slightly in the test, math performance remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 28.4% of students met math benchmarks, compared to 31.8% in 2019. 

However, data also indicates a significant achievement gap based on race and ethnicity. The disparities were even more pronounced in math. White students achieved a proficiency rate of 38.7%, while Black students achieved 9.1% and Hispanic students 15.6%. Asian students achieved the highest proficiency rates in both subjects, hitting 68.2% in ELA and 61.4% in math.

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

School	Students who met standards (%)	Students who exceed standards (%)	Total enrollment
University of Illinois High School	66.7%	25.4%	314
Prairieview-Ogden Junior High School	65.1%	20.6%	63
Unity East School	52%	2%	240
Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School	49.2%	15%	785
Unity Junior High School	48.1%	4.2%	360
St. Joseph Elementary School	47.6%	3%	486
Fisher Junior/Senior High School	45.5%	14.9%	283
St. Joseph Middle School	44.6%	27.7%	335
Heritage Junior High And Elementary School	42%	5.6%	236
South Side Elementary School	41.8%	5.7%	290
Fisher Grade School	41%	1.1%	330
Unity West School	39.6%	3.6%	386
Prairieview-Ogden North Elementary School	38.9%	2.8%	79
Kenwood Elementary School	36.4%	2.6%	369
Gifford Grade School	36.1%	3.1%	158
Carrie Busey Elementary School	33.8%	2.9%	454
Prairieview-Ogden South Elementary School	33.7%	2.2%	133
Lincoln Trail Elementary School	33.5%	3.2%	788
Edison Middle School	33.2%	3.3%	640
Vernon L. Barkstall Elementary School	32.7%	3.5%	406
Bottenfield Elementary School	32.6%	1.3%	439
Franklin Middle School	28.5%	4.3%	626
Robeson Elementary School	27.4%	2.8%	431
Leal Elementary School	25.8%	2.7%	372
International Prep Academy	25.2%	5.6%	649
Jefferson Middle School	22.8%	3.3%	703
Thomasboro Grade School	22.6%	3.2%	141
Westview Elementary School	21.5%	1%	416
J.W. Eater Junior High School	21.3%	1.4%	486
Dr. Howard Elementary School	18%	5.1%	379
Northview Elementary School	13.1%	0.8%	253
Yankee Ridge Elementary School	12.4%	0%	465
Urbana Middle School	12.3%	0.8%	897
Stratton Elementary School	12.3%	0.5%	422
Broadmeadow Elementary School	10.8%	0%	242
Garden Hills Elementary School	10.3%	0%	357
Pleasant Acres Elementary School	9.6%	0%	290
Thomas Paine Elementary School	9%	0%	377
Washington Elementary School	8.5%	0%	371
M.L. King Junior Elementary School	5.3%	0%	304
Dr. Preston L. Williams Junior Elementary School	4.9%	0%	503
Eastlawn Elementary School	2.2%	0%	256
Ludlow Elementary School	0%	0%	47

Information in this story was obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education. The source data can be found here.