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, 80.3 percent of Mason County's 157 public high school 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.
Out of the three Mason County schools, Illini Central High School (89.5 percent) had the highest failure rate in the county. Havana High School (72.6 percent) had the lowest.
No Mason County high schools had a passing rate of more than 50 percent of students.
County-wide, Math test failure rates in 2022 remained the same from 2019 with 80.3 percent.
The failure rate increased at Midwest Central High School in 2022, from 76.4 percent to 82.4 percent.
Failure rates rose the most in Coles County (82.7 percent), Mercer County (83.5 percent), Pope County (89.8 percent), Union County (91.3 percent), and Henderson County (92.2 percent).
Havana High School and Illini Central High School were the only Mason County high schools to see Math scores improve between 2019 and 2022.
Statewide, 70 percent of Illinois students failed the 2022 state Math 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illini Central High School | 38 | 91.7% | 92.9% | 89.5% |
| Midwest Central High School | 57 | 76.4% | 92.1% | 82.4% |
| Havana High School | 62 | 78.5% | 86.4% | 72.6% |
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