Rock Island Today

More than 5 in 10 Rock Island 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 Rock Island Today analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 50.2% of Rock Island County's 9,059 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.

Rockridge Junior High School (62.4%), Logan Elementary School (61.9%) and Northeast Junior High School (61%) had the highest failure rates in Rock Island County. Meanwhile, Lincoln-Irving Elementary School (36.6%) and Jane Addams Elementary School (34.8%) had the lowest.

Of 37 Rock Island County high schools, 18, including Denkmann Elementary School, Sherrard Junior High School, and Eagle Ridge School had passing rates of more than 50%.

Countywide, English test failure rates rose from 50% in 2021 to 50.2% in 2023.

The failure rate rose in 19 Rock Island County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Hampton Elementary School (59.1%).

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."

High School	# of Students	Failing % in 2021	Failing % in 2022	Failing % in 2023
Rockridge Junior High School	234	58.6%	63.2%	62.4%
Logan Elementary School	139	54.9%	52.7%	61.9%
Northeast Junior High School	195	54.1%	62.4%	61%
Hampton Elementary School	159	50.3%	47.6%	59.1%
Butterworth Elementary School	87	45.7%	52.6%	57.5%
Bicentennial Elementary School	137	47.9%	53.5%	55.4%
Bowlesburg Elementary School	101	51.3%	44.1%	54.5%
Ridgewood Elementary School	170	47.8%	46.7%	54.1%
Rock Island Center for Math and Science	233	48.8%	56.9%	53.7%
Woodrow Wilson Middle School	806	54.5%	52.9%	53.7%
George Washington Elementary School	146	47.6%	43.3%	53.4%
Glenview Middle School	1119	55.3%	51%	53%
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School	143	50%	51.1%	52.5%
Eugene Field Elementary School	254	56.1%	52.7%	52.4%
John Deere Middle School	718	52%	48.7%	52.1%
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School	166	42.5%	44.7%	51.8%
Andalusia Elementary School	222	60.3%	51.4%	51.4%
Roosevelt Elementary School	201	42.4%	50%	51.3%
Frances Willard Elementary School	202	35.1%	41.8%	51%
Denkmann Elementary School	223	54.5%	50%	49.4%
Sherrard Junior High School	209	47.7%	56.9%	49.3%
Eagle Ridge School	167	58.3%	45.7%	48.5%
Riverdale Middle School	267	50.2%	45.1%	48.3%
Washington Junior High School	456	46.9%	49.9%	47.6%
Edison Junior High School	391	43.6%	38.1%	47.1%
George O. Barr School	191	43.9%	50.9%	46.6%
Ridgewood Elementary School	131	45.4%	50.7%	46.6%
Willard Elementary School	88	39.8%	47.4%	45.5%
Hamilton Elementary School	301	54.3%	46%	42.2%
Longfellow Elementary School	113	43.1%	48.4%	41.6%
Riverdale Elementary School	216	50%	41.1%	40.7%
Hillcrest Elementary School	116	45%	37.3%	40.6%
Wells Elementary School	84	49.1%	42.1%	40.5%
Rock Island Academy	278	38.3%	44%	39.2%
Earl H. Hanson Elementary School	110	49.3%	48.5%	38.2%
Lincoln-Irving Elementary School	142	37.4%	35%	36.6%
Jane Addams Elementary School	144	45.4%	44.4%	34.8%