Is West Junior High School a good school?

West Junior High School ranks 650 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend West Junior High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 394 students attended West Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of West Junior High School?

Students at West Junior High School are 61% African American, 24% White, 9% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

West Junior High School

Summary:

West Junior High School is a public middle school serving 422 students in grades 7-8 in Belleville, Illinois. The school is part of the Belleville School District 118, which is ranked 480 out of 813 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

West Junior High School faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 11.2% in 2019-2020 to 38.6% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state and district averages. Academically, the school's English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rates are generally on par with or slightly above the district average, but below the state average, while its mathematics proficiency rates are consistently lower than both the district and state averages. However, the school's performance for African American and Hispanic students is significantly better than their peers at the state level, ranking in the top quartile of Illinois middle schools. In contrast, the school's performance for male students, multi-racial students, special education students, and low socioeconomic status students is below the state average and in the bottom half of Illinois middle schools.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Shiloh Middle School and Wolf Branch Middle School, West Junior High School generally performs on par or slightly below the average in terms of academic proficiency, with the exception of its strong performance for African American and Hispanic students. Additionally, the school's significant increase in spending per student, from $11,855 in 2019-2020 to $15,843 in 2022-2023, has not translated into a corresponding improvement in academic outcomes, suggesting the need for a closer examination of resource allocation and utilization within the school.

Detail:

Public 7-8

840 Royal Heights Rd
Belleville, IL 62226-5704

(618) 234-8200

District: Belleville School District 118

SchoolDigger Rank:
650^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,809

Feeder schools for West Junior High School:

Elementary:	Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
	Jefferson Elementary School
	Union Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.1

Number of students: 394

Racial breakdown:

African American:

60.7%

White:

23.6%

Two or more races:

8.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 75.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare West Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details West Junior High School ranks better than 52.3% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 46.39. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (60.7%), White (23.6%), two or more races (8.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 75.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Junior High School is 12.1. (See more...)

Compare West Junior High School employs 32.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Junior High School is $18,809.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

West Junior High School:

SchoolDigger ranks West Junior High School 650^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See West Junior High School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Belleville School District 118:

SchoolDigger ranks Belleville School District 118 480^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for West Junior High School

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Rank History for all students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	72.80	336^th	1185	71.6%
2004	60.27	557^th	1204	53.7%
2005	69.73	411^th	1209	66.0%
2006	62.96	525^th	1272	58.7%
2007	67.81	447^th	1287	65.3%
2008	60.24	614^th	1293	52.5%
2009	67.82	468^th	1318	64.5%
2010	65.71	506^th	1327	61.9%
2011	67.39	489^th	1344	63.6%
2012	53.14	741^st	1365	45.7%
2013	51.68	674^th	1367	50.7%
2014	38.28	850^th	1322	35.7%
2015	38.41	745^th	1302	42.8%
2016	44.12	670^th	1294	48.2%
2017	49.13	602^nd	1293	53.4%
2018	47.46	635^th	1293	50.9%
2019	46.39	672^nd	1356	50.4%
2021	32.09	780^th	1241	37.1%
2022	44.80	670^th	1369	51.1%
2023	47.41	640^th	1367	53.2%
2024	46.39	650^th	1363	52.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	47.20	92^nd	179	48.6%
2023	28.87	128^th	194	34.0%
2024	35.28	106^th	184	42.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	38.31	320^th	602	46.8%
2019	42.57	346^th	792	56.3%
2021	37.63	304^th	548	44.5%
2022	46.21	300^th	781	61.6%
2023	31.16	532^nd	805	33.9%
2024	26.85	611^th	802	23.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	48.55	532^nd	1161	54.2%
2019	52.44	513^th	1217	57.8%
2021	38.46	608^th	1019	40.3%
2022	50.43	510^th	1221	58.2%
2023	54.23	468^th	1234	62.1%
2024	58.59	399^th	1219	67.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2022	97.60	1^st	34	97.1%
2023	71.93	10^th	53	81.1%
2024	80.97	5^th	70	92.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	52.34	538^th	1226	56.1%
2019	53.72	537^th	1276	57.9%
2021	30.67	687^th	1017	32.4%
2022	49.15	565^th	1286	56.1%
2023	52.99	507^th	1275	60.2%
2024	51.42	534^th	1251	57.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	43.88	304^th	674	54.9%
2024	41.12	312^th	639	51.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.63	684^th	1223	44.1%
2019	37.97	753^rd	1296	41.9%
2021	30.76	707^th	1048	32.5%
2022	40.92	679^th	1286	47.2%
2023	40.64	710^th	1292	45.0%
2024	40.97	664^th	1264	47.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	60.44	139^th	511	72.8%
2019	59.41	151^st	565	73.3%
2021	43.93	173^rd	385	55.1%
2022	52.60	201^st	573	64.9%
2023	67.72	111^th	569	80.5%
2024	65.23	115^th	548	79.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	69.03	145^th	639	77.3%
2022	96.75	13^th	662	98.0%
2024	81.74	68^th	643	89.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at West Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	55.96	367^th	889	58.7%
2019	50.22	439^th	905	51.5%
2021	42.93	432^nd	813	46.9%
2022	59.21	329^th	898	63.4%
2023	50.52	405^th	895	54.7%
2024	50.01	423^rd	875	51.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for West Junior High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	265	28	1	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	295
1989	255	23	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	278
1990	277	26	1	n/a	1	n/a	n/a	0	305
1991	273	40	5	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	319
1992	284	38	6	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	329
1993	331	42	4	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	377
1994	342	53	8	1	2	n/a	n/a	0	406
1995	305	75	5	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	387
1996	305	75	5	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	387
1997	274	82	3	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	365
1998	282	110	7	2	3	n/a	n/a	0	404
1999	277	99	7	3	4	n/a	n/a	0	390
2000	290	127	3	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	425
2001	301	129	7	6	4	n/a	n/a	0	447
2002	257	151	11	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	426
2003	257	151	11	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	426
2004	228	162	13	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	412
2005	203	139	9	5	3	n/a	n/a	3	362
2006	181	146	7	5	3	n/a	n/a	19	361
2007	161	173	7	11	1	n/a	n/a	18	371
2008	156	202	6	9	2	n/a	n/a	27	402
2009	155	185	2	10	1	n/a	n/a	26	379
2010	148	141	2	10	3	n/a	n/a	28	332
2011	145	162	3	6	1	2	41	0	360
2012	139	170	8	9	0	4	7	0	337
2013	139	180	2	14	0	5	14	0	354
2014	123	192	1	11	1	1	20	0	349
2015	127	220	1	12	0	1	19	0	380
2016	127	197	2	15	0	2	29	0	372
2017	145	192	1	12	1	1	20	0	372
2018	150	221	4	17	0	0	17	0	409
2019	139	241	1	21	0	0	27	0	429
2020	129	258	1	16	0	0	32	0	436
2021	130	260	4	17	0	1	30	0	442
2022	129	237	3	17	0	2	24	0	412
2023	121	241	2	24	0	2	32	0	422
2024	93	239	2	24	0	1	35	0	394

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at West Junior High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	295	21.0	14.0	n/a
1989	278	21.0	13.2	n/a
1990	305	22.0	13.8	n/a
1991	319	22.0	14.5	n/a
1992	329	22.0	14.9	n/a
1993	377	23.0	16.4	n/a
1994	406	24.0	16.9	n/a
1995	387	21.0	18.4	n/a
1996	387	21.0	18.4	n/a
1997	365	23.0	15.9	n/a
1998	404	25.0	16.2	n/a
1999	390	26.5	14.7	n/a
2000	425	27.5	15.5	n/a
2001	447	27.0	16.6	n/a
2002	426	25.5	16.7	41.3
2003	426	25.5	16.7	41.3
2004	412	26.0	15.8	47.6
2005	362	25.0	14.5	44.3
2006	361	25.0	14.4	49.7
2007	371	16.0	23.2	55.2
2008	402	21.0	19.1	53.1
2009	379	24.0	15.8	59.8
2010	332	22.0	15.0	66.4
2011	360	20.0	18.0	64.7
2012	337	22.0	15.3	65.3
2013	354	22.6	15.6	55.9
2014	349	20.0	17.4	69.3
2015	380	24.0	15.8	74.7
2016	372	23.0	16.1	74.2
2017	372	24.5	15.1	69.4
2018	409	25.7	15.8	71.1
2019	429	25.9	16.5	75.3
2020	436	26.5	16.4	76.8
2021	442	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	412	29.0	14.2	76.9
2023	422	30.3	13.9	76.3
2024	394	32.4	12.1	75.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio West Junior High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	295	21.0	14.0	n/a
1989	278	21.0	13.2	n/a
1990	305	22.0	13.8	n/a
1991	319	22.0	14.5	n/a
1992	329	22.0	14.9	n/a
1993	377	23.0	16.4	n/a
1994	406	24.0	16.9	n/a
1995	387	21.0	18.4	n/a
1996	387	21.0	18.4	n/a
1997	365	23.0	15.9	n/a
1998	404	25.0	16.2	n/a
1999	390	26.5	14.7	n/a
2000	425	27.5	15.5	n/a
2001	447	27.0	16.6	n/a
2002	426	25.5	16.7	41.3
2003	426	25.5	16.7	41.3
2004	412	26.0	15.8	47.6
2005	362	25.0	14.5	44.3
2006	361	25.0	14.4	49.7
2007	371	16.0	23.2	55.2
2008	402	21.0	19.1	53.1
2009	379	24.0	15.8	59.8
2010	332	22.0	15.0	66.4
2011	360	20.0	18.0	64.7
2012	337	22.0	15.3	65.3
2013	354	22.6	15.6	55.9
2014	349	20.0	17.4	69.3
2015	380	24.0	15.8	74.7
2016	372	23.0	16.1	74.2
2017	372	24.5	15.1	69.4
2018	409	25.7	15.8	71.1
2019	429	25.9	16.5	75.3
2020	436	26.5	16.4	76.8
2021	442	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	412	29.0	14.2	76.9
2023	422	30.3	13.9	76.3
2024	394	32.4	12.1	75.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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