That's according to a Peoria Standard analysis of 2022 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 72.1 percent of Peoria County's 1,758 public high school students failed the English language arts 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.
Manual Academy (100 percent), Peoria High School (96.9 percent) and Quest Charter School Academy (88.3 percent) had the highest failure rates in Peoria County. Brimfield High School (55.5 percent) and Dunlap High School (44.1 percent) had the lowest.
Of 13 Peoria County high schools, only one -- Dunlap High School had passing rates of more than 50 percent.
County-wide, English test failure rates rose from 66.8 percent in 2019 to 72.1 percent in 2022.
The failure rate increased at six Peoria County high schools in 2022, with the most significant increase happening at Peoria Heights High School (88.1 percent).
Failure rates rose the most at Cook County (100 percent), Marion County (100 percent), Peoria County (100 percent), Scott County (100 percent), Tazewell County (100 percent).
Statewide, 69.1 percent of Illinois students failed the 2022 state English exam, up from 64 percent in 2019.
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 2019 | Failing % in 2021 | Failing % in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual Academy | 110 | 86.1% | 96.3% | 100% |
| Peoria High School | 293 | 93.4% | 93.4% | 96.9% |
| Quest Charter School Academy | 34 | 92.5% | 96.2% | 88.3% |
| Peoria Heights High School | 42 | 77.1% | 76.1% | 88.1% |
| Limestone Community High School | 202 | 65% | 75.4% | 79.2% |
| Farmington Central High School | 74 | 75.5% | 80% | 71.6% |
| Illini Bluffs High School | 61 | 62.3% | 72% | 70.5% |
| Richwoods High School | 339 | 59% | 65.3% | 67.5% |
| Illinois Valley Central High School | 146 | 61.4% | 65.7% | 66.4% |
| Princeville High School | 51 | 58.1% | 67.8% | 64.7% |
| Elmwood High School | 39 | 43.8% | 61.7% | 61.6% |
| Brimfield High School | 45 | 55.5% | 58.8% | 55.5% |
| Dunlap High School | 322 | 40.4% | 46.9% | 44.1% |
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