Rockford Sun

More than 5 in 10 Boone County public students aren't at grade level based on their performance in the English portion of the 2023 SAT.

That's according to a Rockford Sun analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 52.9% of Boone County's 3,746 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.

North Boone Upper Elementary School (59.4%), Perry Elementary School (58.1%) and Belvidere South Middle School (57.1%) had the highest failure rates in Boone County. Meanwhile, Manchester Elementary School (43.8%) and Poplar Grove Elementary School (38.6%) had the lowest.

Of 13 Boone County high schools, five, including Capron Elementary School, Washington Academy, and Seth Whitman Elementary School had passing rates of more than 50%.

Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 54.4% in 2021 to 52.9% in 2023.

The failure rate rose in six Boone County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Perry Elementary School (58.1%).

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%).

Capron Elementary School, Seth Whitman Elementary School, Manchester Elementary School, and Poplar Grove Elementary School were the Boone County high schools to see improvements between 2021 and 2023.

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
North Boone Upper Elementary School	217	64%	67%	59.4%
Perry Elementary School	117	54.9%	48.4%	58.1%
Belvidere South Middle School	760	54.3%	56.3%	57.1%
Belvidere Central Middle School	872	54.8%	58.8%	55.7%
Lincoln Elementary School	248	51.1%	48.5%	51.6%
Meehan Elementary School	322	52.1%	48.2%	51.6%
North Boone Middle School	233	56.5%	63.1%	50.6%
Caledonia Elementary School	193	48.6%	49.7%	50.2%
Capron Elementary School	51	53%	51%	49%
Washington Academy	302	53.3%	47.1%	47.7%
Seth Whitman Elementary School	304	50.7%	47%	44.7%
Manchester Elementary School	57	47.4%	45.2%	43.8%
Poplar Grove Elementary School	70	61%	43.6%	38.6%