Steffanie Seegmiller Principal at Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond High School | Official Website
Steffanie Seegmiller Principal at Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond High School | Official Website
That's according to an analysis from East Central Reporter of test scores compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that in the 2023-24 school year, 84.1% of Douglas County's 233 public high school students—approximately 195 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.
Arcola High School had the highest failure rate in Douglas County (98.1%), and Villa Grove High School had the lowest (75.7%).
No high school in Douglas County had a student passing rate exceeding 50%.
Countywide, math test failure rates fell from 85.9% in the 2022-23 school year to 84.1% in the 2023-24 school year.
Failure rates increased at two Douglas County high schools in the 2023-24 school year, with the most significant increase happening at Arcola High School, where the rate jumped from 85.8% to 98.1%.
Statewide, failure rates were highest in Bureau County, Christian County, Gallatin County, Schuyler County, and Hamilton County, where the percentage of students who failed the math exam were 82.4%, 91.6%, 93.4%, 93.6%, and 95.2%, respectively.
Villa Grove High School and Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond High School were the only Douglas County high schools that saw math scores improve between the 2022-23 school year and the 2023-24 school year.
Data shows that 73.7% of Illinois students failed the 2023-24 school year state math exam, up from 73% in the 2022-23 school year.
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 | Student Count | Failure Rate in 2022-23 | Failure Rate in 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcola High School | 53 | 85.8% | 98.1% |
| Tuscola High School | 71 | 83% | 85.9% |
| Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond High School | 72 | 85.2% | 76.3% |
| Villa Grove High School | 37 | 90.2% | 75.7% |
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