45.8% of Kane County students failed their 2023 English exam; Scores fell 1.4% from previous year

Illinois State Board of education | Vice Chair of the Board Dr. Donna S. Leak (2023)

By Kane County Reporter

Aug 21, 2024

Nearly 5 in 10 Kane County public students aren't at grade level based on their performance in the English portion of the 2023 SAT.

That's according to a Kane County Reporter analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 45.8% of Kane County's 37,771 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.

C.F. Simmons Middle School (61.4%), Willard Elementary School (60.9%) and Kaneland Harter Middle School (60.1%) had the highest failure rates in Kane County. Meanwhile, Bell-Graham Elementary School (24.4%) and Central Middle School (14.4%) had the lowest.

Of 108 Kane County high schools, 74, including Dundee Middle School, Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School, and Westfield Community School had passing rates of more than 50%.

Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 48% in 2021 to 45.8% in 2023.

The failure rate rose in 45 Kane County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Rose E. Krug Elementary School (58.1%).

Data shows that the highest failure rates growths were seen in Christian County (72.5%), Hancock County (73.8%), Cook County (74.1%), White County (74.1%), and Morgan County (76.7%).

Statewide, 39.9% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state English exam, down from 64% 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."

ELA Failure Rates in Kane County High Schools in 2023

High School	# of Students	Failing % in 2021	Failing % in 2022	Failing % in 2023
C.F. Simmons Middle School	758	46.3%	53.7%	61.4%
Willard Elementary School	215	54.2%	63.2%	60.9%
Kaneland Harter Middle School	863	59.6%	60.1%	60.1%
C.I. Johnson Elementary School	329	51.1%	53.5%	58.7%
Rose E. Krug Elementary School	124	39.6%	41%	58.1%
Washington Middle School	638	56.7%	57.6%	58%
Nicholson Elementary School	128	45.1%	44.9%	57.8%
Geneva Middle School North	595	52.5%	54.8%	56.1%
John Gates Elementary School	189	58.6%	48.2%	55%
Jefferson Middle School	573	54.4%	57.3%	54.6%
Cambridge Lakes Charter School	398	53.7%	54.9%	54%
Herget Middle School	570	58.2%	54.3%	53.7%
Dundee Highlands Elementary School	166	50.3%	46.2%	53.6%
Geneva Middle School South	583	56.3%	53.2%	53.2%
Fearn Elementary School	252	48.2%	55.9%	53.1%
Fox Meadow Elementary School	318	57.2%	55.8%	52.9%
Harriet Gifford Elementary School	229	38.1%	47.4%	52%
Western Avenue Elementary School	166	61%	48.8%	51.8%
Channing Memorial Elementary School	178	45.9%	54.5%	51.6%
C.M. Bardwell Elementary School	322	41.2%	46%	51.3%
Gary D. Wright Elementary School	323	52.1%	53%	51.1%
Jewel Middle School	575	46.5%	50.1%	51.1%
Hall Elementary School	280	39.2%	49.2%	51%
Carpentersville Middle School	1130	47.4%	48.3%	50.9%
Sunny Hill Elementary School	171	53.5%	39.3%	50.9%
Clinton Elementary School	300	56.8%	46.4%	50.7%
Kaneland Blackberry Creek Elementary	229	49.4%	46.4%	50.6%
Harrison Street Elementary School	199	59.2%	50.2%	50.3%
Hampshire Elementary School	207	58%	55.3%	50.2%
Lowrie Elementary School	213	40.1%	45.7%	50.2%
Otter Creek Elementary School	217	47.7%	46.5%	50.2%
Freeman Elementary School	252	55.2%	51.1%	50%
K.D. Waldo Middle School	814	42.7%	48%	50%
Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School	196	51.5%	51.4%	50%
Dundee Middle School	1092	48.9%	54.6%	49.8%
Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School	255	48.3%	50.3%	49.8%
Westfield Community School	1119	49.4%	50.5%	49.4%
Prairie View Grade School	363	52.4%	41.9%	49.3%
Garfield Elementary School	161	43.2%	35.1%	49.1%
Lakewood School	351	43.4%	48.9%	49.1%
Nicholas A. Hermes Elementary School	281	54.7%	46.7%	48.8%
Olney C. Allen Elementary School	338	45%	45.2%	48.8%
Golfview Elementary School	185	38.3%	49.7%	48.7%
McCleery Elementary School	249	49.1%	53.5%	48.6%
Louise White Elementary School	177	45.1%	49.4%	48.5%
Highland Elementary School	321	35.9%	46%	48.3%
Kenyon Woods Middle School	894	37.5%	51.8%	48%
Henry W. Cowherd Middle School	828	52.9%	49.6%	47.9%
Larsen Middle School	589	33.3%	40.9%	47.9%
Hill Elementary School	272	42.7%	42.6%	47.8%
Meadowdale Elementary School	232	45.6%	50.2%	47.8%
Century Oaks Elementary School	258	42.8%	48.2%	47.7%
Kimball Middle School	497	52.5%	44.1%	47.7%
Gilberts Elementary School	318	54.4%	47.9%	47.5%
J.B. Nelson Elementary School	195	59.5%	49.2%	47.2%
Creekside Elementary School	247	46.4%	42.1%	46.9%
Grace McWayne Elementary School	156	63%	57.1%	46.7%
Mabel O. Donnell Elementary School	133	50.1%	43.2%	46.6%
Beaupre Elementary School	82	45.5%	44.8%	46.4%
G.N. Dieterich Elementary School	194	45.6%	40.7%	46.3%
Liberty Elementary School	368	52.2%	51%	46.2%
Sam Rotolo Middle School	1127	45.4%	49%	46.1%
Ronald D.O. Neal Elementary School	251	35.4%	45.3%	45.8%
Abbott Middle School	522	42.8%	41%	45.6%
Washington Elementary School	219	47.7%	46.8%	45.6%
Edna Rollins Elementary School	194	47.6%	44.3%	45.4%
Hampshire Middle School	785	49.6%	54.7%	45.3%
Kaneland John Shields Elementary School	210	56%	51.2%	44.8%
Kaneland McDole Elementary School	203	56.2%	46%	44.8%
Perry Elementary School	115	40.6%	28.7%	44.4%
Howard B. Thomas Grade School	280	50.1%	49%	44.3%
Anderson Elementary School	213	45.4%	44.2%	44.1%
Parkview Elementary School	152	40.9%	56.1%	44%
Oak Park Elementary School	148	55.5%	49.3%	43.9%
H.C. Storm Elementary School	167	39.9%	42.2%	43.7%
Ellis Middle School	512	73.2%	39.8%	43.4%
Algonquin Lakes Elementary School	193	47.4%	49%	43%
Alice Gustafson Elementary School	200	49.3%	45.7%	43%
Coleman Elementary School	358	44.5%	42.3%	42.7%
Greenman Elementary School	248	35.4%	43.5%	42.3%
Hillcrest Elementary School	237	48.7%	50.5%	42.2%
Goodwin Elementary School	153	50%	54%	41.8%
Hoover Wood Elementary School	166	47%	40.6%	41.6%
Smith Elementary School	176	56.5%	56.1%	40.9%
Schneider Elementary School	171	45%	50.3%	40.3%
Mill Creek School	231	48.7%	34.2%	39.8%
McKinley Elementary School	198	46.7%	41.4%	37.9%
Lily Lake Grade School	135	29.4%	33.8%	37.7%
Country Trails Elementary School	314	53.2%	38.9%	37.6%
Munhall Elementary School	267	43.7%	38.3%	37.5%
Williamsburg Elementary School	234	51.6%	42.1%	37.2%
Richmond Intermediate School	361	35.7%	36.4%	36.1%
Sleepy Hollow Elementary School	161	44.7%	41.6%	36%
Hinckley-Big Rock Middle School	141	43.2%	36.7%	35.5%
Wasco Elementary School	247	47.1%	47.7%	35.2%
L.D. Brady Elementary School	137	51.4%	46.6%	35.1%
Lincoln Elementary School	79	35.2%	36.2%	32.9%
Wredling Middle School	1351	42.9%	44.1%	31.1%
Corron Elementary School	283	42.9%	41%	30.7%
Wild Rose Elementary School	273	32.6%	33.1%	30.1%
Prairie Knolls Middle School	787	44.5%	34.6%	29.7%
Heartland Elementary School	177	52.4%	43.3%	29.4%
Thompson Middle School	1227	40.1%	32.2%	28.8%
Ferson Creek School	285	31.4%	27.4%	28.1%
Fabyan Elementary School	109	46.6%	39.8%	26.6%
Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy	278	57.9%	43.6%	25.5%
Bell-Graham Elementary School	246	30.2%	33%	24.4%
Central Middle School	395	41.5%	37%	14.4%