Pekin Community High School Principal Mr. Joel Schmieg (2023) | Pekin Community High School
Pekin Community High School Principal Mr. Joel Schmieg (2023) | Pekin Community High School
That's according to an analysis from Peoria Standard of test scores compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that in the 2023-24 school year, 63.3% of Tazewell County's 1,301 public high school students failed the ELA 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.
East Peoria High School (79.4%), Delavan High School (78.6%) and Pekin Community High School (76.2%) had the highest failure rates in Tazewell County in the 2023-24 school year. Meanwhile, Washington Community High School (53.8%) and Morton High School (46.7%) had the lowest.
Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 64.8% in the 2022-23 school year to 63.3% in the 2023-24 school year.
The failure rate rose in four Tazewell County high schools in the 2023-24 school year, with the most significant increase happening at Delavan High School, where the failure rate rose by 8.6%, reaching 78.6% overall.
Data shows that the largest growth in failure rates occurred in Vermilion County, which increased by 20.8% to 89.7%; Clark County, which grew by 22% to 89.3%; Kendall County, which increased by 24.1% to 89.4%; Fayette County, which grew by 24.6% to 91.2%; and Shelby County, which increased by 27.3% to 92.3%.
Pekin Community High School, Tremont High School, and Washington Community High School were the Tazewell County high schools to see improvements between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.
Statewide, 67.7% of Illinois students failed the 2023-24 school year state English exam, down from 68.4% 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 School Year | Failure Rate in 2023-24 School Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Peoria High School | 165 | 78.5% | 79.4% |
| Delavan High School | 42 | 70% | 78.6% |
| Pekin Community High School | 374 | 77.3% | 76.2% |
| Dee-Mack High School | 64 | 56.9% | 61% |
| Tremont High School | 70 | 74.3% | 55.7% |
| Washington Community High School | 327 | 55.3% | 53.8% |
| Morton High School | 259 | 44.2% | 46.7% |
Alerts Sign-up