Is Shepherd Middle School a good school?

Shepherd Middle School ranks 793 rd of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Shepherd Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 381 students attended Shepherd Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Shepherd Middle School?

Students at Shepherd Middle School are 74% White, 15% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What high school do graduates of Shepherd Middle School attend?

Students who attend Shepherd Middle School usually go on to attend Ottawa Township High School

Shepherd Middle School

Summary:

Shepherd Middle School is a public middle school located in Ottawa, Illinois, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 389 students. The school is part of the Ottawa Education Service District 141, which is ranked 441 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Shepherd Middle School faces several challenges, including lower-than-average academic performance, declining performance over time, significant disparities in subgroup performance, and high chronic absenteeism. The school's performance on standardized tests is generally below the state and district averages, with only 38.7% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 14.1% in Mathematics, compared to 41.2% and 28.4% statewide, respectively. The school's performance has been declining over the past few years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 586 out of 1,241 middle schools in 2020-2021 to 793 out of 1,363 in 2023-2024. Additionally, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate, which has been increasing from 8.3% in 2019-2020 to 23.5% in 2023-2024.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Parkside Middle School and Seneca Elementary School South Campus, Shepherd Middle School's performance is significantly lower. The school also faces significant disparities in subgroup performance, with a proficiency rate of 43.7% in English Language Arts for Hispanic students, compared to only 1.0% for White students, and a proficiency rate of just 2.0% in both English Language Arts and Mathematics for students with disabilities.

Detail:

Public 7-8

701 E McKinley Rd
Ottawa, IL 61350-4811

(815) 433-1133

District: Ottawa Education Service District 141

SchoolDigger Rank:
793^rd of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,089

Students who attend Shepherd Middle School usually attend:

High:

Ottawa Township High School

Feeder schools for Shepherd Middle School:

Elementary:	Jefferson Elementary School
	Lincoln Elementary School
	McKinley Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.3

Number of students: 381

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.0%

Hispanic:

15.2%

Two or more races:

6.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 53.8%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Shepherd Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Shepherd Middle School ranks worse than 58.2% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 37. (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 (74%), Hispanic (15.2%), two or more races (6.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 53.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Shepherd Middle School is 11.3. (See more...)

Compare Shepherd Middle School employs 33.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Shepherd Middle School is $18,089.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Shepherd Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Shepherd Middle School 793^rd of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Shepherd Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Ottawa Education Service District 141:

SchoolDigger ranks Ottawa Education Service District 141 441^st of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Shepherd Middle School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Shepherd Middle School

Compare

Rank History for all students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	44.99	727^th	1185	38.6%
2004	49.27	696^th	1204	42.2%
2005	59.23	588^th	1209	51.4%
2006	60.37	569^th	1272	55.3%
2007	62.41	564^th	1287	56.2%
2008	66.78	479^th	1293	63.0%
2009	56.87	673^rd	1318	48.9%
2010	60.73	600^th	1327	54.8%
2011	56.49	680^th	1344	49.4%
2012	35.76	982^nd	1365	28.1%
2013	47.86	731^st	1367	46.5%
2014	43.83	766^th	1322	42.1%
2015	56.15	472^nd	1302	63.7%
2016	53.10	542^nd	1294	58.1%
2017	38.97	762^nd	1293	41.1%
2018	48.44	624^th	1293	51.7%
2019	49.22	628^th	1356	53.7%
2021	44.84	586^th	1241	52.8%
2022	40.98	735^th	1369	46.3%
2023	35.01	844^th	1367	38.3%
2024	37.00	793^rd	1363	41.8%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	21.35	152^nd	194	21.6%
2024	22.24	136^th	184	26.1%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	47.52	231^st	602	61.6%
2019	35.38	456^th	792	42.4%
2021	38.48	292^nd	548	46.7%
2022	26.83	734^th	781	6.0%
2023	27.38	604^th	805	25.0%
2024	32.90	495^th	802	38.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	48.50	534^th	1161	54.0%
2019	48.94	575^th	1217	52.8%
2021	41.16	564^th	1019	44.7%
2022	43.44	626^th	1221	48.7%
2023	41.66	683^rd	1234	44.7%
2024	41.40	679^th	1219	44.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	48.67	612^th	1226	50.1%
2019	48.53	621^st	1276	51.3%
2021	37.26	588^th	1017	42.2%
2022	39.58	724^th	1286	43.7%
2023	35.52	779^th	1275	38.9%
2024	34.91	774^th	1251	38.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	27.73	521^st	674	22.7%
2024	40.11	325^th	639	49.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	46.16	610^th	1223	50.1%
2019	49.33	590^th	1296	54.5%
2021	46.84	475^th	1048	54.7%
2022	42.21	662^nd	1286	48.5%
2023	34.25	805^th	1292	37.7%
2024	38.47	705^th	1264	44.2%

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

Rank History for African American students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	48.00	239^th	565	57.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.32	407^th	590	31.0%
2019	29.34	486^th	639	23.9%
2021	27.57	408^th	517	21.1%
2022	40.26	376^th	662	43.2%
2023	41.63	355^th	661	46.3%
2024	31.97	437^th	643	32.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.63	602^nd	889	32.3%
2019	33.77	607^th	905	32.9%
2021	35.30	510^th	813	37.3%
2022	24.71	707^th	898	21.3%
2023	18.01	791^st	895	11.6%
2024	23.23	697^th	875	20.3%

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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Shepherd Middle School.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Shepherd Middle School, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Shepherd Middle School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	407	1	4	8	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	420
1989	354	5	6	12	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	377
1990	394	6	4	14	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	418
1991	455	3	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	463
1992	458	5	0	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	472
1993	485	9	6	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	514
1994	479	7	3	19	1	n/a	n/a	0	509
1995	435	5	10	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	471
1996	435	5	10	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	471
1997	448	13	4	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	484
1998	475	19	5	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	512
1999	524	13	1	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	550
2000	477	6	4	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	501
2001	447	9	7	24	1	n/a	n/a	0	488
2002	499	17	2	23	2	n/a	n/a	0	543
2003	499	17	2	23	2	n/a	n/a	0	543
2004	466	14	2	28	3	n/a	n/a	0	513
2005	470	13	2	25	3	n/a	n/a	13	526
2006	411	13	1	31	4	n/a	n/a	14	474
2007	372	13	2	28	4	n/a	n/a	25	444
2008	377	14	4	26	2	n/a	n/a	26	449
2009	375	18	3	34	5	n/a	n/a	19	454
2010	352	14	3	26	6	n/a	n/a	12	413
2011	350	11	4	41	1	0	8	0	415
2012	351	11	2	41	4	0	8	0	417
2013	347	15	6	43	7	1	9	0	428
2014	369	15	5	63	5	1	20	0	478
2015	355	18	3	62	5	0	22	0	465
2016	329	7	5	55	4	0	16	0	416
2017	320	11	4	54	4	0	14	0	407
2018	319	19	1	52	4	0	18	0	413
2019	318	18	1	63	3	0	14	0	417
2020	302	11	3	62	5	0	12	0	395
2021	306	11	2	60	1	0	14	0	394
2022	287	11	0	71	0	0	16	0	385
2023	292	13	1	59	0	0	24	0	389
2024	282	13	3	58	0	0	25	0	381

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 Shepherd Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	420	24.3	17.2	n/a
1989	377	25.2	14.9	n/a
1990	418	25.0	16.7	n/a
1991	463	28.7	16.1	n/a
1992	472	28.6	16.5	n/a
1993	514	33.3	15.4	n/a
1994	509	33.0	15.4	n/a
1995	471	32.0	14.7	n/a
1996	471	32.0	14.7	n/a
1997	484	34.0	14.2	n/a
1998	512	34.0	15.1	n/a
1999	550	32.0	17.2	n/a
2000	501	32.0	15.7	n/a
2001	488	35.0	13.9	n/a
2002	543	35.0	15.5	23.6
2003	543	35.0	15.5	23.6
2004	513	36.0	14.3	28.7
2005	526	32.0	16.4	31.8
2006	474	33.0	14.4	31.5
2007	444	26.0	17.1	37.9
2008	449	26.0	17.3	37.6
2009	454	33.6	13.5	35.2
2010	413	31.6	13.0	40.9
2011	415	32.1	12.9	43.1
2012	417	35.0	11.9	43.2
2013	428	49.9	8.5	42.5
2014	478	35.0	13.6	45.8
2015	465	34.0	13.6	53.5
2016	416	32.0	13.0	51.7
2017	407	30.5	13.3	47.7
2018	413	31.0	13.2	50.1
2019	417	31.5	13.2	51.3
2020	395	31.0	12.7	48.4
2021	394	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	385	34.5	11.1	46.2
2023	389	31.5	12.3	52.7
2024	381	33.6	11.3	53.8

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 Shepherd Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	420	24.3	17.2	n/a
1989	377	25.2	14.9	n/a
1990	418	25.0	16.7	n/a
1991	463	28.7	16.1	n/a
1992	472	28.6	16.5	n/a
1993	514	33.3	15.4	n/a
1994	509	33.0	15.4	n/a
1995	471	32.0	14.7	n/a
1996	471	32.0	14.7	n/a
1997	484	34.0	14.2	n/a
1998	512	34.0	15.1	n/a
1999	550	32.0	17.2	n/a
2000	501	32.0	15.7	n/a
2001	488	35.0	13.9	n/a
2002	543	35.0	15.5	23.6
2003	543	35.0	15.5	23.6
2004	513	36.0	14.3	28.7
2005	526	32.0	16.4	31.8
2006	474	33.0	14.4	31.5
2007	444	26.0	17.1	37.9
2008	449	26.0	17.3	37.6
2009	454	33.6	13.5	35.2
2010	413	31.6	13.0	40.9
2011	415	32.1	12.9	43.1
2012	417	35.0	11.9	43.2
2013	428	49.9	8.5	42.5
2014	478	35.0	13.6	45.8
2015	465	34.0	13.6	53.5
2016	416	32.0	13.0	51.7
2017	407	30.5	13.3	47.7
2018	413	31.0	13.2	50.1
2019	417	31.5	13.2	51.3
2020	395	31.0	12.7	48.4
2021	394	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	385	34.5	11.1	46.2
2023	389	31.5	12.3	52.7
2024	381	33.6	11.3	53.8

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.

Immunization Rates