Is Gillespie High School a good school?

Gillespie High School ranks 480 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Gillespie High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 330 students attended Gillespie High School.

What is the racial makeup of Gillespie High School?

Students at Gillespie High School are 95% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Gillespie High School?

Gillespie High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Ben-Gil Elementary School Middle : Gillespie Middle School

Gillespie High School

Summary:

Gillespie High School is a public high school located in Gillespie, Illinois, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 340 students. The school is part of the Gillespie CUSD 7 district, which is ranked 487 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gillespie High School has experienced fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from a high of 161 out of 647 Illinois high schools in 2017-2018 to a low of 480 out of 697 in the most recent 2023-2024 school year. The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with female students consistently ranking higher than male students and white students. Additionally, special education students and low socioeconomic status students have also struggled, with lower rankings compared to the state. Gillespie High School's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated between 81.4% and 88.2%, which is lower than the state average, and the school's dropout rate has been higher than the state average, ranging from 3.0% to 7.5% in recent years. The school has also experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 17.2% in 2019-2020 to 40.1% in 2021-2022, well above the state average.

When comparing Gillespie High School to nearby high schools, such as Carlinville High School, Litchfield Senior High School, Bunker Hill High School, and Staunton High School, Gillespie generally performs worse across various metrics, including statewide ranking, graduation rates, test scores, and chronic absenteeism. This suggests that Gillespie High School may be facing more challenges than its neighboring schools, which could be related to the school's relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Detail:

Public 9-12

612 Broadway St
Gillespie, IL 62033-1164

(217) 839-2114

District: Gillespie CUSD 7

SchoolDigger Rank:
480^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,729

Feeder schools for Gillespie High School:

Elementary:	Ben-Gil Elementary School
Middle:	Gillespie Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.0

Number of students: 330

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.5%

Two or more races:

2.1%

Hispanic:

1.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 62.4%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Gillespie High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Gillespie High School ranks worse than 68.9% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.84. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Gillespie High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

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 (94.5%), two or more races (2.1%), Hispanic (1.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 62.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Gillespie High School is 13. (See more...)

Compare Gillespie High School employs 25.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gillespie High School is $13,729.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Gillespie High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Gillespie High School 480^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Gillespie High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Gillespie CUSD 7:

SchoolDigger ranks Gillespie CUSD 7 487^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Gillespie High School

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Rank History for all students at Gillespie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	67.71	178^th	586	69.6%
2004	25.57	484^th	592	18.2%
2005	40.94	417^th	590	29.3%
2006	24.47	485^th	596	18.6%
2007	47.33	367^th	612	40.0%
2008	39.98	432^nd	624	30.8%
2009	35.42	462^nd	632	26.9%
2010	62.60	261^st	643	59.4%
2011	70.77	211^th	655	67.8%
2012	68.70	206^th	665	69.0%
2013	70.07	207^th	670	69.1%
2014	63.60	248^th	670	63.0%
2015	30.23	434^th	614	29.3%
2016	49.48	290^th	643	54.9%
2017	50.02	313^th	642	51.2%
2018	71.43	161^st	647	75.1%
2019	61.91	221^st	701	68.5%
2021	69.68	169^th	688	75.4%
2022	39.08	434^th	699	37.9%
2023	53.68	286^th	699	59.1%
2024	28.84	480^th	697	31.1%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Gillespie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	29.55	306^th	473	35.3%
2021	29.28	270^th	453	40.4%
2022	44.59	186^th	493	62.3%
2024	20.75	377^th	482	21.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gillespie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	75.67	80^th	585	86.3%
2019	64.18	167^th	639	73.9%
2021	71.27	111^th	611	81.8%
2022	43.83	342^nd	626	45.4%
2023	67.51	144^th	644	77.6%
2024	36.28	386^th	639	39.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Gillespie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	71.08	163^rd	620	73.7%
2019	73.66	143^rd	665	78.5%
2021	85.80	83^rd	639	87.0%
2022	39.17	400^th	658	39.2%
2023	51.73	300^th	656	54.3%
2024	41.20	363^rd	664	45.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Gillespie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	70.28	149^th	619	75.9%
2019	43.28	375^th	675	44.4%
2021	41.46	353^rd	653	45.9%
2022	38.20	418^th	664	37.0%
2023	53.50	280^th	668	58.1%
2024	21.79	519^th	668	22.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Gillespie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	56.10	202^nd	548	63.1%
2019	42.36	275^th	552	50.2%
2021	51.20	226^th	553	59.1%
2022	23.15	462^nd	560	17.5%
2023	28.90	411^th	557	26.2%
2024	14.86	507^th	554	8.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High 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 Gillespie High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	428	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	430
1990	386	2	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	388
1991	403	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	403
1992	411	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	411
1993	433	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	433
1994	435	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	435
1995	433	0	0	0	2	n/a	n/a	0	435
1996	433	0	0	0	2	n/a	n/a	0	435
1997	449	0	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	452
1998	440	1	6	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	451
1999	449	4	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	455
2000	439	4	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	447
2001	410	1	2	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	415
2002	366	1	1	2	7	n/a	n/a	0	377
2003	366	1	1	2	7	n/a	n/a	0	377
2004	329	1	1	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	334
2005	355	2	1	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	362
2006	350	2	0	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	357
2007	360	3	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	367
2008	393	3	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	402
2009	363	3	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	370
2010	364	4	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	1	371
2011	398	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	402
2012	368	3	0	1	0	0	2	0	374
2013	367	4	0	1	0	0	2	0	374
2014	384	3	0	1	0	0	2	0	390
2015	358	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	363
2016	354	2	0	2	2	0	5	0	365
2017	355	0	0	1	1	0	6	0	363
2018	367	0	0	1	1	0	8	0	377
2019	362	0	0	2	3	0	9	0	376
2020	358	0	0	2	1	0	11	0	372
2021	338	0	0	2	1	0	10	0	351
2022	321	1	2	4	1	0	9	0	338
2023	320	1	2	5	2	0	10	0	340
2024	312	1	2	5	2	1	7	0	330

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 Gillespie High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	430	29.0	14.8	n/a
1990	388	27.9	13.9	n/a
1991	403	27.0	14.9	n/a
1992	411	26.6	15.4	n/a
1993	433	27.0	16.0	n/a
1994	435	26.1	16.7	n/a
1995	435	26.5	16.4	n/a
1996	435	26.5	16.4	n/a
1997	452	26.5	17.1	n/a
1998	451	27.0	16.7	n/a
1999	455	26.0	17.5	n/a
2000	447	25.0	17.9	n/a
2001	415	25.0	16.6	n/a
2002	377	23.0	16.4	26.5
2003	377	23.0	16.4	26.5
2004	334	19.0	17.6	30.2
2005	362	22.0	16.5	31.8
2006	357	20.0	17.9	36.4
2007	367	25.0	14.7	37.6
2008	402	22.0	18.3	37.8
2009	370	23.0	16.1	41.6
2010	371	23.0	16.1	42.7
2011	402	21.1	19.0	56
2012	374	23.0	16.2	45.7
2013	374	30.2	12.3	44.7
2014	390	27.0	14.4	56.4
2015	363	24.0	15.1	53.7
2016	365	23.0	15.8	50.4
2017	363	23.5	15.4	49.6
2018	377	21.2	17.7	53.3
2019	376	22.1	17.0	53.7
2020	372	23.8	15.6	51.3
2021	351	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	338	25.8	13.1	48.8
2023	340	26.3	12.9	52.9
2024	330	25.2	13.0	62.4

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 Gillespie High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	430	29.0	14.8	n/a
1990	388	27.9	13.9	n/a
1991	403	27.0	14.9	n/a
1992	411	26.6	15.4	n/a
1993	433	27.0	16.0	n/a
1994	435	26.1	16.7	n/a
1995	435	26.5	16.4	n/a
1996	435	26.5	16.4	n/a
1997	452	26.5	17.1	n/a
1998	451	27.0	16.7	n/a
1999	455	26.0	17.5	n/a
2000	447	25.0	17.9	n/a
2001	415	25.0	16.6	n/a
2002	377	23.0	16.4	26.5
2003	377	23.0	16.4	26.5
2004	334	19.0	17.6	30.2
2005	362	22.0	16.5	31.8
2006	357	20.0	17.9	36.4
2007	367	25.0	14.7	37.6
2008	402	22.0	18.3	37.8
2009	370	23.0	16.1	41.6
2010	371	23.0	16.1	42.7
2011	402	21.1	19.0	56
2012	374	23.0	16.2	45.7
2013	374	30.2	12.3	44.7
2014	390	27.0	14.4	56.4
2015	363	24.0	15.1	53.7
2016	365	23.0	15.8	50.4
2017	363	23.5	15.4	49.6
2018	377	21.2	17.7	53.3
2019	376	22.1	17.0	53.7
2020	372	23.8	15.6	51.3
2021	351	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	338	25.8	13.1	48.8
2023	340	26.3	12.9	52.9
2024	330	25.2	13.0	62.4

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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