Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website
Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website
The students' overall failure rate in the subject in Jefferson County rose by 8.4% compared to the previous school year.
In comparison, schools in Alexander County fared the worst among all Illinois counties, with 87.3% of students failing to meet test requirements.
At the other end of the spectrum, Woodford County had the highest success rate across the state, with 60.7% of its students passing the ELA portion of the IAR.
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.
| School | Students who did not meet standards (%) | Total students tested |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Nick Osborne Primary Center | 86.5% | 133 |
| McClellan Elementary School | 82.7% | 29 |
| J.L. Buford Intermediate Education Center | 77.6% | 271 |
| Zadok Casey Middle School | 74.2% | 379 |
| Spring Garden Elementary School | 73.9% | 46 |
| Field Elementary School | 70.5% | 156 |
| Woodlawn Grade School | 70.4% | 210 |
| Bluford Grade School | 67.7% | 161 |
| Bethel Grade School | 62.1% | 95 |
| Farrington Elementary School | 59.4% | 32 |
| Grand Prairie Elementary School | 58.9% | 51 |
| Waltonville Grade School | 57.4% | 134 |
| Rome Community Consolidated Elementary School | 54.3% | 217 |
| Summersville Grade School | 52.2% | 163 |
| Spring Garden Middle School | 48.9% | 86 |
| Opdyke-Belle Rive Grade School | 44.7% | 94 |
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