Rockford Sun

Nearly 9 in 10 Winnebago County public high school students aren't at grade level in math.

That's according to a Rockford Sun analysis of 2023 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 85.7% of Winnebago County's 735 public high school students — approximately 629 students — failed the math 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.

Out of the three Winnebago County schools, Rockford East High School (93.9%) had the highest failure rate in the county. Auburn High School (78.3%) had the lowest.

No Winnebago County high schools had a passing rate over 50% of students.

Countywide, math test failure rates fell from 93.9% in 2021 to 85.7% in 2023.

Statewide, failure rates increased the most in Wayne County, Greene County, Sangamon County, Pike County, and Pulaski County, where the percentage of students who failed the math exam rose to 74.1%, 86.4%, 95.6%, 96.7%, and 100%, respectively.

Durand High School and Auburn High School were the only Winnebago County high schools to see math scores improve between 2021 and 2023.

Statewide, 75.6% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state math exam, up from 64% in 2021.

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
Rockford East High School	330	97.3%	98.5%	93.9%
Durand High School	49	100%	95.7%	83.7%
Auburn High School	356	89.8%	86.8%	78.3%