Rockford Sun

IAR results are in and 68.9% of Winnebago County students failed the ELA portion of the test in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The students' overall failure rate in the subject in Winnebago County rose by 5.5% 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
McIntosh Elementary School	97.4%	188
Ellis Elementary School	95.2%	211
Lewis Lemon Elementary School	95.1%	142
Constance Lane Elementary School	94.5%	295
Conklin Elementary School	94.5%	148
Washington Elementary School	94.1%	252
Riverdahl Elementary School	92.4%	250
Rockford Environmental Science Academy	92%	970
Julia Lathrop Elementary School	91.9%	148
Kennedy Middle School	91.8%	320
Jackson Charter School	91.6%	119
Whitehead Elementary School	85.9%	319
C. Henry Bloom Elementary School	85.9%	199
Gregory Elementary School	85.8%	211
Black Hawk Elementary School	84.6%	130
R.K. Welsh Elementary School	84.3%	242
Legacy Academy of Excellence Charter School	83.8%	160
Abraham Lincoln Middle School	81.9%	666
Windsor Elementary School	81.3%	210
Galapagos Rockford Charter School	80.7%	233
Swan Hillman Elementary School	80.6%	269
Marquette Elementary School	80%	90
West Middle School	79.9%	761
Rolling Green Elementary School	79.7%	236
Loves Park Elementary School	79.1%	197
Rock Cut Elementary School	78.8%	278
Eisenhower Middle School	78.4%	927
Barbour Two-Way Language Immersion	78%	410
Maple Elementary School	77.9%	181
Bernard W. Flinn Middle School	77.7%	777
West View Elementary School	77%	218
Riverview Elementary School	76.8%	138
Spring Creek Elementary School	74.2%	264
Machesney Elementary School	73.6%	303
Cherry Valley Elementary School	71.2%	323
Jean McNair Elementary School	70.8%	243
Maud E. Johnson Elementary School	70.3%	182
Harlem Middle School	69%	892
Arthur Froberg Elementary School	68.3%	208
Ralston Elementary School	67.1%	188
Clifford P. Carlson Elementary School	63.4%	156
Brookview Elementary School	60.6%	211
South Beloit Junior High School	58.6%	133
Pecatonica Elementary School	58.4%	125
Montessori Elementary School	57.6%	356
Olson Park Elementary School	57%	256
Haskell Elementary School	56.9%	139
Pecatonica Community Middle School	56.6%	251
Winnebago Middle School	56.4%	298
Durand Elementary School	54.8%	137
Stone Creek School	51.6%	161
Kinnikinnick School	49.4%	380
Whitman Post Elementary School	49%	522
Shirland Community Consolidated School	46.9%	66
Durand Junior High School	33.9%	59
Roscoe Middle School	31%	554
Prairie Hill Elementary School	25.7%	160
Willowbrook Middle School	24.3%	316
Stephen Mack Middle School	23.2%	521
Thurgood Marshall School	6.7%	476
Thurgood Marshall Elementary	4%	202