Illinois Valley Times

More than 5 in 10 Bureau 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 Illinois Valley Times analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 52.1% of Bureau County's 1,843 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.

John F. Kennedy Elementary School (66.1%), Malden Grade School (64.2%) and Allen Grade School (58.7%) had the highest failure rates in Bureau County. Meanwhile, Bureau Valley Elementary and Junior High School (39.2%) and Dalzell Grade School (32.4%) had the lowest.

Of 12 Bureau County high schools, five, including Neponset Grade School, Ladd Community Consolidated School, and Ohio Community Consolidated Grade School had passing rates of more than 50%.

Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 55.2% in 2021 to 52.1% in 2023.

The failure rate rose in five Bureau County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Lincoln Elementary School (54.2%).

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%).

DePue Elementary School, Bureau Valley North School, Ladd Community Consolidated School, Ohio Community Consolidated Grade School, and Bureau Valley Elementary and Junior High School were the Bureau County high schools to see improvements between 2021 and 2023.

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."

High School	# of Students	Failing % in 2021	Failing % in 2022	Failing % in 2023
John F. Kennedy Elementary School	346	57.3%	56.7%	66.1%
Malden Grade School	53	55.2%	56.2%	64.2%
Allen Grade School	46	56.9%	50%	58.7%
Lincoln Elementary School	216	47.5%	43.9%	54.2%
DePue Elementary School	124	57.9%	55.4%	52.4%
Bureau Valley North School	73	67.1%	64.4%	52.1%
Logan Junior High School	418	53.6%	53.7%	50.7%
Neponset Grade School	73	62%	47.4%	47.9%
Ladd Community Consolidated School	116	72.8%	56.9%	47.4%
Ohio Community Consolidated Grade School	43	51.2%	50%	46.6%
Bureau Valley Elementary and Junior High School	298	51.3%	51%	39.2%
Dalzell Grade School	37	27.9%	46.9%	32.4%