East Central Reporter

More than 8 in 10 Richland County public high school students aren't at grade level in math.

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

ISBE reports that last year, 81.3% of Richland County's 144 public high school students — approximately 117 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.

Richland County High School, the only Richland County high school, registered its highest failure (81.3%) rate during 2023, and the lowest (53.1%) in 2022.

Countywide, math test failure rates rose from 59.7% in 2021 to 81.3% in 2023.

Richland County High School was the only Richland County high school to experience an increase in failure rates in 2023, reaching 81.3%.

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.

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
Richland County High School	144	59.8%	53.1%	81.3%