Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website
Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website
The number of Shelby County students who succeeded rose by 16.2% compared to the previous school year.
Woodford County had the highest success rate across the state, with 60.7% of its students passing the ELA portion of the IAR. Schools in Alexander County, on the other hand, performed the worst, with 87.3% of students failing to meet test requirements.
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.
Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.
Shelby County Schools Students who Met or Exceeded Academic Standards in ELA Compared to Previous Years
| School | Students who met standards (%) | Students who exceed standards (%) | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowden-Herrick Grade School | 52.6% | 12.8% | 159 |
| Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School | 49.2% | 23.1% | 163 |
| Moulton Elementary School | 47.5% | 14.4% | 444 |
| Stewardson-Strasburg Elementary School | 43.9% | 6.4% | 273 |
| Okaw Valley Middle School | 43.5% | 5.6% | 125 |
| Main Street Elementary School | 41.1% | 1.1% | 373 |
| Gregory Intermediate School | 29.2% | 1.4% | 196 |
| Windsor Elementary School | 27% | 5% | 202 |
| Windsor Junior and Senior High School | 14% | 0% | 133 |
Information in this story was obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education. The source data can be found here.
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