Rockford Sun

IAR results are in and 80% of Winnebago County students failed the mathematics 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 0.5% compared to the previous school year.

In comparison, schools in Alexander County fared the worst among all Illinois counties, with 97.1% of students failing to meet test requirements.

At the other end of the spectrum, Monroe County had the highest success rate across the state, with 50% of its students passing the mathematics 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
Kennedy Middle School	99.7%	316
Constance Lane Elementary School	99.3%	294
McIntosh Elementary School	98.9%	188
Rockford Environmental Science Academy	98.6%	935
Conklin Elementary School	98%	147
Riverdahl Elementary School	98%	250
Lewis Lemon Elementary School	97.9%	142
Ellis Elementary School	97.6%	212
Jackson Charter School	97.6%	119
Abraham Lincoln Middle School	97.1%	661
Washington Elementary School	96.4%	250
West Middle School	96%	756
R.K. Welsh Elementary School	95%	242
Black Hawk Elementary School	94.7%	130
Julia Lathrop Elementary School	94.6%	148
Bernard W. Flinn Middle School	94.2%	773
C. Henry Bloom Elementary School	94%	199
Gregory Elementary School	93.4%	211
Eisenhower Middle School	93.4%	923
Legacy Academy of Excellence Charter School	92.6%	160
Barbour Two-Way Language Immersion	92.2%	410
Whitehead Elementary School	91.6%	318
South Beloit Junior High School	90.3%	134
Windsor Elementary School	90.3%	208
Galapagos Rockford Charter School	90.2%	233
Swan Hillman Elementary School	89.6%	269
Arthur Froberg Elementary School	88.4%	207
West View Elementary School	88.1%	218
Rolling Green Elementary School	88.1%	235
Riverview Elementary School	87.6%	138
Maple Elementary School	86.1%	181
Maud E. Johnson Elementary School	85.7%	182
Machesney Elementary School	85.1%	303
Rock Cut Elementary School	83.1%	278
Clifford P. Carlson Elementary School	81.7%	153
Loves Park Elementary School	80.8%	197
Spring Creek Elementary School	80.4%	265
Cherry Valley Elementary School	80.2%	322
Harlem Middle School	79.3%	888
Brookview Elementary School	75.4%	211
Marquette Elementary School	74.5%	90
Ralston Elementary School	74.5%	188
Pecatonica Community Middle School	74.1%	251
Jean McNair Elementary School	73.6%	243
Montessori Elementary School	72.5%	356
Durand Junior High School	71.2%	59
Winnebago Middle School	69.4%	298
Stephen Mack Middle School	64.2%	522
Olson Park Elementary School	62.9%	253
Haskell Elementary School	61.6%	138
Durand Elementary School	60.6%	137
Roscoe Middle School	55.5%	555
Stone Creek School	54.6%	161
Kinnikinnick School	54.2%	380
Pecatonica Elementary School	51.2%	125
Willowbrook Middle School	48.5%	316
Shirland Community Consolidated School	48.5%	66
Whitman Post Elementary School	48.2%	521
Prairie Hill Elementary School	32.6%	160
Thurgood Marshall School	15.7%	476
Thurgood Marshall Elementary	3%	202