How many students failed their math exams in Kane County in 2023?

Steven Isoye State Board of Education Chairperson | linkedin.com

By Kane County Reporter

Oct 2, 2024

Nearly 7 in 10 Kane County public high school students aren't at grade level in math.

That's according to a Kane County Reporter analysis of 2023 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 68.5% of Kane County's 1,284 public high school students — approximately 879 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 Kane County schools, Larkin High School (93.1%) had the highest failure rate in the county. Saint Charles North High School (47.9%) had the lowest.

Out of the three high schools in Kane County, only Saint Charles North High School had a passing rate above 50%.

Countywide, math test failure rates fell from 79.3% in 2021 to 68.5% in 2023.

Larkin High School was the only Kane County high school to experience an increase in failure rates in 2023, reaching 93.1%.

Statewide, failure rates increased the most in Wayne County, Greene County, Sangamon County, Pike County, and Pulaski County, where the percentage of students who failed the math exam rose to 74.1%, 86.4%, 95.6%, 96.7%, and 100%, respectively.

Saint Charles North High School and Central High School were the only Kane County high schools to see math scores improve between 2021 and 2023.

Statewide, 75.6% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state math exam, up from 64% in 2021.

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.”

Math Failure Rates in Kane County High Schools in 2023