Pope County CUD 1

The Pope County CUD 1 district in Illinois operates two schools: Pope County Elementary School and Pope County High School. Both schools have seen fluctuations in their statewide rankings over the past few years, with the elementary school ranking between 955th and 1,157th out of over 2,000 Illinois elementary schools, and the high school ranking between 446th and 518th out of nearly 700 high schools.

Academically, the schools in the Pope County CUD 1 district are underperforming compared to state averages. Both the elementary and high school have proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math that fall well below the state's averages. Additionally, the high school's SAT scores in Math (4.7%) and ELA (14%) are significantly lower than the state's averages (26.1% and 31.1% respectively). Despite the relatively high per-student spending at both schools, the academic performance remains poor, suggesting a need for a closer examination of the district's educational practices and resource allocation.

The district serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged student population, with high rates of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at both the elementary (63.64%) and high school (62.28%). This demographic factor may be contributing to the academic challenges faced by the schools. Additionally, the high chronic absenteeism rate at the elementary school (26.6%) is a concern and may be a significant barrier to student learning and achievement. Addressing these issues should be a priority for the district as it works to improve student outcomes and ensure the long-term success of its schools.