Is Cary Junior High School a good school?

Cary Junior High School ranks 414 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cary Junior High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 745 students attended Cary Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Cary Junior High School?

Students at Cary Junior High School are 68% White, 25% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Cary Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Cary Junior High School usually go on to attend Cary-Grove Community High School

Cary Junior High School

Summary:

Cary Junior High School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Cary, Illinois, with an enrollment of 681 students. The school is part of the Cary CCSD 26 district, which is ranked 329 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cary Junior High School consistently outperforms the state average in English Language Arts (ELA) and Science proficiency across all grades. For example, in 2023-2024, 54.6% of Cary Junior High students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 41.2%. In Science, 67.8% of Cary Junior High students were proficient, compared to the state average of 53.2%. The school also performs well for most student subgroups, with male students, White students, and special education students ranking in the top 40% of Illinois middle schools. However, Hispanic students and multi-racial students perform below average, ranking in the bottom 40% of Illinois middle schools.

Compared to nearby highly-rated schools like Lake Zurich Middle - N Campus and Barrington Middle School Station, Cary Junior High School still outperforms the state average in ELA and Math. However, the school's statewide ranking has declined from 121 out of 1,294 Illinois middle schools in 2015-2016 to 414 out of 1,363 in 2023-2024, suggesting increased competition from other high-performing schools. Additionally, the school's chronic absenteeism rate, while declining, is still higher than the state average, which could be an area for the school to focus on.

Detail:

Public 6-8

2109 Crystal Lake Rd
Cary, IL 60013-1426

(224) 357-5150

District: Cary CCSD 26

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,921

Students who attend Cary Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Cary-Grove Community High School

Feeder schools for Cary Junior High School:

Elementary:	Briargate Elementary School
	Deer Path Elementary School
	Three Oaks School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.2

Number of students: 745

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.7%

Hispanic:

24.6%

Two or more races:

5.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 28.2%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Cary Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Cary Junior High School ranks better than 69.6% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 63.18. (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: White (67.7%), Hispanic (24.6%), two or more races (5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 28.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cary Junior High School is 12.2. (See more...)

Compare Cary Junior High School employs 61 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cary Junior High School is $13,921.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cary Junior High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Cary Junior High School 414^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Cary Junior High School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Cary CCSD 26:

SchoolDigger ranks Cary CCSD 26 329^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Cary Junior High School

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Rank History for all students at Cary Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	89.47	75^th	1185	93.7%
2004	84.06	146^th	1204	87.9%
2005	87.29	97^th	1209	92.0%
2006	84.80	103^rd	1272	91.9%
2007	81.76	160^th	1287	87.6%
2008	83.84	122^nd	1293	90.6%
2009	83.88	118^th	1318	91.0%
2010	86.34	70^th	1327	94.7%
2011	81.84	160^th	1344	88.1%
2012	82.67	154^th	1365	88.7%
2013	84.62	169^th	1367	87.6%
2014	84.67	158^th	1322	88.0%
2015	88.30	133^rd	1302	89.8%
2016	87.65	121^st	1294	90.6%
2017	82.47	191^st	1293	85.2%
2018	79.28	225^th	1293	82.6%
2019	72.07	321^st	1356	76.3%
2021	62.12	360^th	1241	71.0%
2022	74.07	289^th	1369	78.9%
2023	72.07	304^th	1367	77.8%
2024	63.18	414^th	1363	69.6%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	56.35	81^st	179	54.7%
2022	62.34	73^rd	195	62.6%
2023	60.53	73^rd	194	62.4%
2024	42.75	95^th	184	48.4%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cary Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.34	182^nd	285	36.1%
2019	28.73	310^th	339	8.6%
2021	30.73	242^nd	277	12.6%
2022	36.41	303^rd	454	33.3%
2023	47.11	187^th	480	61.0%
2024	48.60	175^th	486	64.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Cary Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	48.07	224^th	602	62.8%
2019	52.50	238^th	792	69.9%
2021	31.27	391^st	548	28.6%
2022	46.85	288^th	781	63.1%
2023	68.08	160^th	805	80.1%
2024	67.90	184^th	802	77.1%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	61.63	342^nd	1161	70.5%
2019	57.87	411^th	1217	66.2%
2021	43.35	527^th	1019	48.3%
2022	55.50	431^st	1221	64.7%
2023	56.69	416^th	1234	66.3%
2024	51.94	487^th	1219	60.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Cary Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	77.24	228^th	1226	81.4%
2019	72.28	309^th	1276	75.8%
2021	52.80	410^th	1017	59.7%
2022	69.75	308^th	1286	76.0%
2023	67.68	338^th	1275	73.5%
2024	60.24	425^th	1251	66.0%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Cary Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	41.38	334^th	674	50.4%
2024	51.70	210^th	639	67.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Cary Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	78.44	201^st	1223	83.6%
2019	69.70	324^th	1296	75.0%
2021	64.02	286^th	1048	72.7%
2022	76.40	229^th	1286	82.2%
2023	73.77	255^th	1292	80.3%
2024	64.27	369^th	1264	70.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cary Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	45.22	299^th	590	49.3%
2019	43.29	334^th	639	47.7%
2021	34.46	350^th	517	32.3%
2022	40.58	370^th	662	44.1%
2023	33.41	443^rd	661	33.0%
2024	31.78	439^th	643	31.7%

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

Rank History for White students at Cary Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	71.45	215^th	889	75.8%
2019	61.41	319^th	905	64.8%
2021	52.89	347^th	813	57.3%
2022	67.04	242^nd	898	73.1%
2023	67.34	239^th	895	73.3%
2024	56.75	346^th	875	60.5%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Cary Junior High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	491	1	2	16	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	510
1990	558	n/a	n/a	12	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	570
1991	638	1	4	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	657
1992	704	5	5	15	3	n/a	n/a	0	732
1993	784	5	7	24	8	n/a	n/a	0	828
1994	521	3	4	23	4	n/a	n/a	0	555
1995	555	0	6	26	4	n/a	n/a	0	591
1996	555	0	6	26	4	n/a	n/a	0	591
1997	568	2	4	26	0	n/a	n/a	0	600
1998	622	3	9	20	0	n/a	n/a	0	654
1999	646	2	7	24	0	n/a	n/a	0	679
2000	683	0	6	34	2	n/a	n/a	0	725
2001	716	1	10	34	0	n/a	n/a	0	761
2002	756	2	11	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	804
2003	756	2	11	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	804
2004	779	9	12	37	0	n/a	n/a	0	837
2005	778	6	12	41	0	n/a	n/a	15	852
2006	782	7	9	58	0	n/a	n/a	16	872
2007	751	4	8	51	0	n/a	n/a	19	833
2008	744	4	14	58	0	n/a	n/a	22	842
2009	727	4	21	68	0	n/a	n/a	23	843
2010	660	3	18	54	1	n/a	n/a	21	757
2011	634	3	17	65	17	3	25	0	764
2012	865	5	24	102	24	0	32	0	1052
2013	813	7	22	116	15	1	34	0	1008
2014	755	5	21	138	10	1	32	0	962
2015	744	5	18	138	7	1	34	0	947
2016	722	5	21	135	6	1	30	0	920
2017	706	3	19	137	8	1	23	0	897
2018	683	7	22	154	6	2	25	0	899
2019	634	8	19	152	4	1	25	0	843
2020	620	8	17	150	3	2	28	0	828
2021	581	6	13	155	1	2	38	0	796
2022	540	6	13	164	2	1	37	0	763
2023	454	7	16	158	2	0	44	0	681
2024	504	5	15	183	1	0	37	0	745

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 Cary Junior High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	510	26.0	19.6	n/a
1990	570	29.0	19.6	n/a
1991	657	35.0	18.7	n/a
1992	732	38.5	19.0	n/a
1993	828	42.5	19.5	n/a
1994	555	34.0	16.3	n/a
1995	591	36.5	16.2	n/a
1996	591	36.5	16.2	n/a
1997	600	38.0	15.8	n/a
1998	654	38.6	16.9	n/a
1999	679	45.7	14.9	n/a
2000	725	44.0	16.5	n/a
2001	761	44.6	17.1	n/a
2002	804	52.6	15.3	4.9
2003	804	52.6	15.3	4.9
2004	837	53.6	15.6	5.4
2005	852	46.5	18.3	6.8
2006	872	47.0	18.6	8.2
2007	833	42.0	19.8	7.5
2008	842	43.0	19.6	8.5
2009	843	52.0	16.2	9
2010	757	48.0	15.7	11.8
2011	764	30.0	25.4	16.2
2012	1052	41.8	25.1	15.8
2013	1008	45.1	22.3	18.5
2014	962	52.4	18.3	19.2
2015	947	57.0	16.6	22.6
2016	920	58.0	15.8	19.5
2017	897	58.2	15.3	22.3
2018	899	57.8	15.5	20.7
2019	843	61.6	13.6	21.5
2020	828	60.5	13.6	22.2
2021	796	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	763	59.5	12.8	21.1
2023	681	56.0	12.1	27.5
2024	745	61.0	12.2	28.2

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 Cary Junior High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	510	26.0	19.6	n/a
1990	570	29.0	19.6	n/a
1991	657	35.0	18.7	n/a
1992	732	38.5	19.0	n/a
1993	828	42.5	19.5	n/a
1994	555	34.0	16.3	n/a
1995	591	36.5	16.2	n/a
1996	591	36.5	16.2	n/a
1997	600	38.0	15.8	n/a
1998	654	38.6	16.9	n/a
1999	679	45.7	14.9	n/a
2000	725	44.0	16.5	n/a
2001	761	44.6	17.1	n/a
2002	804	52.6	15.3	4.9
2003	804	52.6	15.3	4.9
2004	837	53.6	15.6	5.4
2005	852	46.5	18.3	6.8
2006	872	47.0	18.6	8.2
2007	833	42.0	19.8	7.5
2008	842	43.0	19.6	8.5
2009	843	52.0	16.2	9
2010	757	48.0	15.7	11.8
2011	764	30.0	25.4	16.2
2012	1052	41.8	25.1	15.8
2013	1008	45.1	22.3	18.5
2014	962	52.4	18.3	19.2
2015	947	57.0	16.6	22.6
2016	920	58.0	15.8	19.5
2017	897	58.2	15.3	22.3
2018	899	57.8	15.5	20.7
2019	843	61.6	13.6	21.5
2020	828	60.5	13.6	22.2
2021	796	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	763	59.5	12.8	21.1
2023	681	56.0	12.1	27.5
2024	745	61.0	12.2	28.2

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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