In school districts reported on by Peoria Standard, passing grades in English and math studies fell across the board. Results for the three largest districts in the Peoria Standard coverage area that saw decreases are below, with further details about each school district found in the table below.
In Peoria School District 150, the results fell the furthest among students studying math. In 2019, 84.3 percent of students failed math. The latest district results showed 90.1 percent of Peoria School District 150 students failed math in 2021.
Students in Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 fared the worst in English, with the number of students who failed rising from 34 percent in 2019 to 37.9 percent in 2021.
Pekin Public School District 108 saw failing rates rise the most in English, from 74.8 percent in 2019 to 80 percent in 2021.
Illinois students are rated on a proficiency scale, rather than a zero to 100 system. Students who did not meet, partially met, or approached their proficiency goals are considered to have failed.
The COVID-19 had “devastating” impacts on student learning, according to a report from the Brookings Institute.
“These numbers are alarming and potentially demoralizing, especially given the heroic efforts of students to learn and educators to teach in incredibly trying times,” the report said. “There is much work to be done, and the challenges for students, educators, and parents are considerable.”
A report from Illinois Policy found while all students were affected by the pandemic, low-income and minority students saw the biggest losses in their proficiency scores.
“Among low-income high school juniors in 2021, under 16 percent scored at proficiency level in reading and fewer than 13 percent were proficient in math. This represents a nearly 15 percent and 25 percent overall proficiency decline since 2019 in each subject. Comparatively, proficiency scores in reading and math for higher-income juniors dropped around 11 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
“By the end of the 2021 school year, higher-income juniors were almost three times more likely to be proficient than low-income students.”
There are many lingering effects of students learning less due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. A McKinsey report found K-12 students were “on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of school year.”
The switch to remote learning, where students would attend classes virtually using their laptops instead of being in the classroom, was often pinpointed in reports as the biggest reason for diminishing student proficiency.
Classrooms across the U.S. moved to remote learning when the pandemic began in early 2020. However, an Inside Higher Ed investigation found it was never designed to be the long-term solution it became.
“Students talked a lot about really missing being in person with their classmates…and having those spontaneous, organic conversations and relationships,” Rayane Alamuddin of Ithaka S+R consulting said. “They miss the relationships they make in school because not only does it make them excited about learning and motivate them to stay engaged in school, but they also actually learn a lot more.”
Many school districts have returned to in-class learning, though still with some COVID-19 precautions in place.
| District | 2019 Math Failing Rates | 2021 Math Failing Rates | 2019 English Failing Rates | 2021 English Failing Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astoria Community Unit School District 1 | 91.7% | 91.6% | 67.9% | 78.6% |
| Bartonville School District 66 | 81.4% | 91.3% | 70.7% | 88.8% |
| Bradford Community Unit School District 1 | 69.5% | 65.8% | 62.1% | 57.5% |
| Brimfield Community Unit School District 309 | 47.5% | 51.5% | 52.2% | 52.2% |
| Canton Union School District 66 | 70.8% | 81.8% | 65.2% | 77.7% |
| Central School District 51 | 40.8% | 48.2% | 24.7% | 35.3% |
| Creve Coeur School District 76 | 89.8% | 89.1% | 88.2% | 80.1% |
| Deer Creek-Mackinaw Community Unit School District 701 | 64.5% | 78.6% | 51.4% | 66.7% |
| Delavan Community Unit School District 703 | 67.3% | 79.1% | 63.4% | 79.2% |
| District 50 Schools | 86.1% | 88.3% | 81.6% | 88.4% |
| Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 | 39.5% | 43.2% | 34% | 37.9% |
| East Peoria School District 86 | 76.1% | 84.5% | 64.1% | 79% |
| El Paso-Gridley Community Unit School District 11 | 60.8% | 67.7% | 48.1% | 62.6% |
| Elmwood Community Unit School District 322 | 63.6% | 65.3% | 47.8% | 63.6% |
| Eureka Community Unit School District 140 | 55% | 61.4% | 48.4% | 43.4% |
| Farmington Central Community Unit School District 265 | 67% | 76% | 57.9% | 70.5% |
| Fieldcrest Community Unit School District 6 | 85.4% | 84.1% | 65.1% | 70.7% |
| Fulton County Community Unit School District 3 | 77.5% | 80.5% | 60.7% | 66.9% |
| Germantown Hills School District 69 | 40.2% | 44.4% | 33.7% | 31.1% |
| Havana Community Unit School District 126 | 72.3% | 82.2% | 62.1% | 78.1% |
| Henry Senachwine Community Unit School District 5 | 81.6% | 83.9% | 67.9% | 75.4% |
| Hollis Consolidated School District 328 | 57.5% | 70.3% | 48.5% | 41.7% |
| Illini Bluffs Community Unit School District 327 | 72.9% | 84% | 48% | 72.7% |
| Illini Central Community Unit School District 189 | 76.7% | 88.8% | 62.8% | 81% |
| Illinois Valley Central Unit School District 321 | 61.9% | 64.7% | 41.9% | 53.6% |
| Lewistown Community Unit School District 97 | 83.7% | 88.4% | 78.9% | 86.3% |
| Limestone Walters Community Consolidated School District 316 | 51.2% | 74.3% | 46.3% | 62.4% |
| Lowpoint Washburn Community Unit School District 21 | 71.3% | 76.8% | 48.5% | 66.9% |
| Metamora Community Consolidated School District 1 | 52.4% | 61% | 35.7% | 48.4% |
| Midland Community Unit School District 7 | 73.3% | 75.9% | 45.9% | 51.7% |
| Midwest Central Community Unit School District 191 | 75.8% | 78.5% | 71.3% | 74.5% |
| Monroe School District 70 | 57.9% | 53.9% | 32.5% | 46.1% |
| Morton Community Unit School District 709 | 50.2% | 51.8% | 34.2% | 38.6% |
| North Pekin-Marquette Heights School District 102 | 73% | 81.4% | 51.5% | 70.9% |
| Norwood Elementary School District 63 | 77.8% | 90.7% | 68.3% | 81.5% |
| Oak Grove School District 68 | 75.2% | 86.1% | 66.3% | 77.7% |
| Pekin Public School District 108 | 83.1% | 83.8% | 74.8% | 80% |
| Peoria Heights Community Unit School District 325 | 90.2% | 93.1% | 79.7% | 86.1% |
| Peoria School District 150 | 84.3% | 90.1% | 82.1% | 86.5% |
| Pleasant Hill School District 69 | 90.8% | 92% | 82.9% | 87.7% |
| Pleasant Valley School District 62 | 83.9% | 92.2% | 64.1% | 79.8% |
| Princeville Community Unit School District 326 | 54.6% | 58% | 50.5% | 60.3% |
| Rankin Community School District 98 | 60.8% | 78.5% | 45.7% | 64.5% |
| Riverview Consolidated Community School District 2 | 77% | 90.4% | 77% | 87.5% |
| Roanoke-Benson Community Unit School District 60 | 60.2% | 66.3% | 40.1% | 47.5% |
| Robein School District 85 | 68.4% | 87.7% | 53.1% | 52% |
| South Pekin School District 137 | 75.9% | 86.6% | 83.1% | 83.9% |
| Spoon River Valley Community Unit School District 4 | 58.9% | 63.5% | 52.3% | 62.5% |
| Spring Lake Community Consolidated School District 606 | 70.6% | 76.3% | 62.8% | 60.5% |
| Stark County Community Unit School District 100 | 73% | 84.2% | 66.1% | 79.6% |
| Tremont Community Unit School District 702 | 52.9% | 60.2% | 35.1% | 45.5% |
| V.I.T. Community Unit School District 2 | 91.1% | 92.5% | 86% | 81.4% |
| Washington School District 52 | 48.3% | 51.6% | 49.8% | 52.6% |
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