Jason Helfer Chief Education Officer - Instruction | Twitter
Jason Helfer Chief Education Officer - Instruction | Twitter
The students' overall failure rate in the subject in Boone County rose by 10.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Meehan Elementary School | 85.1% | 307 |
| Lincoln Elementary School | 84.6% | 247 |
| Washington Academy | 84% | 299 |
| Perry Elementary School | 79.9% | 134 |
| Belvidere South Middle School | 69.8% | 747 |
| Capron Elementary School | 69.1% | 42 |
| Caledonia Elementary School | 67.7% | 201 |
| Belvidere Central Middle School | 66.4% | 839 |
| Seth Whitman Elementary School | 66.1% | 292 |
| Poplar Grove Elementary School | 57.8% | 90 |
| Manchester Elementary School | 55% | 60 |
| North Boone Upper Elementary School | 53.8% | 197 |
| North Boone Middle School | 48.9% | 241 |
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