Will County Gazette

Test results show 51.4% of Will County students passed the ELA portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The number of Will County students who succeeded rose by 15.6% compared to the previous school year.

Woodford County had the highest success rate across the state, with 60.7% of its students passing the ELA portion of the IAR. Schools in Alexander County, on the other hand, performed the worst, with 87.3% of students failing to meet test requirements.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing toward state standards in English language arts and mathematics.

Recent IAR data shows that while Illinois students improved slightly in the test, math performance remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 28.4% of students met math benchmarks, compared to 31.8% in 2019. 

However, data also indicates a significant achievement gap based on race and ethnicity. The disparities were even more pronounced in math. White students achieved a proficiency rate of 38.7%, while Black students achieved 9.1% and Hispanic students 15.6%. Asian students achieved the highest proficiency rates in both subjects, hitting 68.2% in ELA and 61.4% in math.

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

School	Students who met standards (%)	Students who exceed standards (%)	Total enrollment
Eisenhower Academy	70.4%	9.6%	227
Mokena Junior High School	62.4%	14.1%	503
Robert Clow Elementary School	61.7%	9.4%	346
V. Blanche Graham Elementary School	61.1%	17.3%	308
Three Rivers School	58.9%	6.8%	260
Bentley Elementary School	58.5%	13%	375
Fry Elementary School	58.1%	13.8%	565
Chelsea Elementary School	57.8%	15.7%	882
Kingsley Elementary School	57.7%	11.7%	410
Spring Brook Elementary School	57.6%	7.3%	554
Gordon Gregory Middle School	56.9%	23.4%	823
Manhattan Junior High School	56.9%	11.8%	592
Heritage Grove Middle School	56.7%	14.5%	844
Scullen Middle School	55.3%	24.9%	961
Indian Trail Elementary School	54.6%	15.3%	299
Hadley Middle School	54.3%	10.3%	864
Eagle Pointe Elementary School	54.2%	6.7%	590
Nelson Prairie School	54.2%	7.6%	376
Freedom Elementary School	53.8%	10.5%	533
Richard Ira Jones Middle School	53.5%	10.2%	863
Channahon Junior High School	53.5%	18.4%	260
Oliver Julian Kendall Elementary School	53.3%	14.8%	582
Ludwig Elementary School	53.3%	8.2%	314
Clifford Crone Middle School	53.1%	22.5%	882
Summit Hill Junior High School	52.8%	11.4%	602
River Woods Elementary School	52.3%	18.7%	469
Patterson Elementary School	52%	13.8%	484
Walker's Grove Elementary School	51.9%	16.5%	612
Oak Prairie Junior High School	51.8%	29.7%	451
Bednarcik Junior High School	51.7%	12.8%	531
Lincoln Elementary School	51.7%	10.9%	567
Reed-Custer Middle School	51.1%	11.6%	273
Frankfort Square Elementary School	51.1%	10.6%	160
Milne Grove Elementary School	51%	5.9%	228
Danielle-Joy Peterson Elementary School	51%	13.1%	567
Dr. Julian Rogus School	50.7%	2.1%	613
Homer Junior High School	50.6%	28.6%	795
Anna McDonald Elementary School	50.5%	6.7%	585
Nelson Ridge School	50.2%	7.3%	449
Beecher Elementary School	50%	6%	438
John F. Kennedy Middle School	49.8%	9.7%	927
Wayne Builta Elementary School	49.7%	11.2%	326
Walker Intermediate School	48.9%	5.3%	519
Liberty Junior High School	48.7%	14%	584
Union Elementary School	48.6%	12.2%	122
Reed Elementary School	48.3%	6.7%	305
Alex M. Martino Junior High School	47.7%	8.1%	564
Arbury Hills Elementary School	47.6%	3.6%	176
Wolf's Crossing Elementary School	47.1%	9%	451
Mokena Elementary School	46.6%	4.6%	715
Kelvin Grove Junior High School	46.6%	15.4%	289
Elwood C.C. School	46.4%	2.2%	270
William J. Butler School	45.6%	2.1%	563
John J. Lukancic Middle School	45.4%	18%	560
Luther J. Schilling School	45%	5.5%	602
Troy Craughwell School	44.5%	4%	444
A. Vito Martinez Middle School	44.4%	15%	646
Wilmington Middle School	44%	25.9%	262
Spencer Crossing Intermediate School	44%	3.4%	533
Indian Trail Middle School	43.9%	8.5%	526
Arnold J. Tyler School	43.9%	2.6%	377
Beecher Junior High School	43.6%	6.2%	258
Richland Elementary School	43.6%	4.8%	813
Peotone Junior High School	43.5%	12.6%	297
Homestead Elementary School	43.4%	10.5%	470
Hickory Creek Middle School	43.1%	48.3%	945
Arlene Welch Elementary School	43.1%	7.2%	594
Pioneer Path School	42.9%	4.5%	247
Troy Middle School	42.9%	9.5%	867
Drauden Point Middle School	42.4%	8.6%	673
L.J. Stevens Intermediate School	41.9%	3.1%	350
Elizabeth Eichelberger Elementary School	41.9%	10.5%	563
Peotone Elementary School	41.9%	0%	300
Reed-Custer Elementary School	41.8%	4.4%	671
Forest Park Individual Education School	41.6%	0%	267
Mokena Intermediate School	41.6%	7.2%	338
Jane Addams Middle School	41.4%	24.1%	532
Central Elementary School	41.1%	4.5%	519
Liberty Elementary School	40.9%	7.2%	539
Ridge Elementary School	40.8%	3.1%	482
Orenic Intermediate School	40.7%	5.9%	798
Peotone Intermediate Center	40.5%	0.6%	155
Walnut Trails Elementary School	40.4%	5.4%	514
Oster-Oakview School	40.3%	5.4%	374
Troy Hofer Elementary School	39.4%	12.5%	414
River View Elementary School	39.4%	6.1%	619
Troy Shorewood School	39%	5%	326
Hubert H. Humphrey Middle School	38.8%	12.2%	537
The Wheatlands Elementary School	38.6%	6.4%	557
Irene King Elementary School	38.1%	4.2%	410
Columbia Central School	38.1%	10.9%	581
Timber Ridge Middle School	38%	5.6%	823
Meadow View Elementary School	36.3%	2.4%	545
Robert C. Hill Elementary School	36%	4.3%	605
Coretta Scott King Magnet School	34.9%	2.3%	264
John R. Tibbott Elementary School	34.7%	2.4%	474
Lakewood Falls Elementary School	34.4%	0.8%	528
Laraway Elementary School	34.3%	4.3%	452
Creekside Elementary School	33.6%	1.6%	478
Skoff Elementary School	33.5%	4.6%	692
Brooks Middle School	33%	13.1%	967
Kenneth L. Hermansen Elementary School	32.6%	1.4%	394
Jonas E. Salk Elementary School	32%	3%	471
Haines Elementary School	31.8%	0.9%	340
Spencer Pointe School	31.6%	1.9%	461
Jamie McGee Elementary School	30.3%	3.2%	390
Troy Cronin Elementary School	29.7%	8.9%	648
Wood View Elementary School	29.2%	2.3%	345
Gompers Junior High School	29.1%	2.6%	695
Dirksen Junior High School	28.4%	2%	554
Oak View Elementary School	27.9%	1.3%	572
Chaney-Monge School	27.8%	0.7%	401
Crete-Monee Middle School	27.5%	3.1%	969
Pioneer Elementary School	27.3%	2.3%	607
Troy Heritage Trail School	27.3%	6%	410
Fairmont School	26.5%	1.8%	283
Hufford Junior High School	26.2%	3.3%	1,101
Crete Elementary School	25.9%	2%	381
Taft Grade School	25.9%	0%	254
Grand Prairie Elementary School	25.7%	2.2%	535
Bernard J. Ward Elementary School	25.4%	0%	346
Independence Elementary School	25%	3.6%	593
Crystal Lawns Elementary School	24.8%	5.6%	302
Monee Elementary School	24.3%	1%	372
Rockdale Elementary School	24.3%	2.8%	240
Wesmere Elementary School	23.3%	3%	544
T.E. Culbertson Elementary School	22%	0.5%	212
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School	20.2%	0.8%	445
Balmoral Elementary School	20%	0%	449
Steger Intermediate Center	19.1%	2.5%	480
Washington Junior High and Academy Program	18.8%	2.1%	685
Taft Elementary School	18.5%	0.5%	332
Isaac Singleton Elementary School	18.2%	0.7%	454
A.O. Marshall Elementary School	14.7%	0%	211
Farragut Elementary School	14.6%	0.4%	511
Lynne Thigpen Elementary School	13.9%	0%	610
Pershing Elementary School	12.8%	0.3%	478
M.J. Cunningham Elementary School	12.4%	1.2%	513
Woodland Elementary School	11.7%	0.5%	348
Talala Elementary School	8.3%	0.7%	277
Sator Sanchez Elementary School	7.7%	0%	710
Edna Keith Elementary School	7.2%	0%	357
Carl Sandburg Elementary School	5.3%	0.8%	287

Information in this story was obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education. The source data can be found here.