Is Southwestern Middle School a good school?

Southwestern Middle School ranks 769 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Southwestern Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 174 students attended Southwestern Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Southwestern Middle School?

Students at Southwestern Middle School are 96% White, 2% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Southwestern Middle School attend?

Students who attend Southwestern Middle School usually go on to attend Southwestern High School

Southwestern Middle School

Summary:

Southwestern Middle School is a public middle school located in Piasa, Illinois, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 189 students. The school is part of the Southwestern CUSD 9 district, which is ranked 381 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southwestern Middle School faces several challenges, including declining academic performance, significant achievement gaps among student subgroups, and high chronic absenteeism rates. The school's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates in ELA and Math, is generally lower than the state and district averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 37.3% in ELA and 17.2% in Math, compared to the state averages of 41.2% and 28.4%, respectively. The school's performance has declined over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 287 out of 1,293 Illinois middle schools in 2017-2018 to 769 out of 1,363 in 2023-2024. Additionally, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with female students, white students, students with disabilities, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds performing below their peers.

Interestingly, Southwestern Middle School's performance is generally lower than that of nearby schools, such as Medora Intermediate School (also in the Southwestern CUSD 9 district) and Staunton Junior High School (in the Staunton CUSD 6 district). Medora Intermediate School and Staunton Junior High School both outperform Southwestern Middle School in ELA and Math proficiency rates. To address these challenges, Southwestern Middle School will need to focus on improving student outcomes and better serving its community.

Detail:

Public 7-8

8226 Route 111
Piasa, IL 62079-2051

(618) 372-3813

District: Southwestern CUSD 9

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,617

Students who attend Southwestern Middle School usually attend:

High:

Southwestern High School

Feeder schools for Southwestern Middle School:

Elementary:	Brighton North Primary School
	Shipman Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.1

Number of students: 174

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.0%

African American:

1.7%

Two or more races:

1.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 43.7%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Southwestern Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Southwestern Middle School ranks worse than 56.4% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.55. (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 (96%), African American (1.7%), two or more races (1.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 43.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Southwestern Middle School is 12.1. (See more...)

Compare Southwestern Middle School employs 14.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Southwestern Middle School is $13,617.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Southwestern Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Southwestern Middle School 769^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Southwestern Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

White students:

Southwestern CUSD 9:

SchoolDigger ranks Southwestern CUSD 9 381^st of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Southwestern Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Southwestern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	47.70	704^th	1185	40.6%
2004	66.04	453^rd	1204	62.4%
2005	70.08	406^th	1209	66.4%
2006	59.08	597^th	1272	53.1%
2007	62.58	559^th	1287	56.6%
2008	63.33	563^rd	1293	56.5%
2009	63.34	545^th	1318	58.6%
2010	68.70	445^th	1327	66.5%
2011	73.85	329^th	1344	75.5%
2012	65.30	510^th	1365	62.6%
2013	52.69	656^th	1367	52.0%
2014	68.17	394^th	1322	70.2%
2015	56.87	462^nd	1302	64.5%
2016	57.54	473^rd	1294	63.4%
2017	67.72	344^th	1293	73.4%
2018	72.99	287^th	1293	77.8%
2019	67.30	391^st	1356	71.2%
2021	55.63	449^th	1241	63.8%
2022	51.02	574^th	1369	58.1%
2023	52.23	567^th	1367	58.5%
2024	38.55	769^th	1363	43.6%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Southwestern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	32.28	517^th	792	34.7%
2022	34.24	495^th	781	36.6%
2023	18.48	788^th	805	2.1%
2024	24.87	648^th	802	19.2%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	68.42	263^rd	1161	77.3%
2019	74.63	193^rd	1217	84.1%
2021	62.23	250^th	1019	75.5%
2022	50.01	514^th	1221	57.9%
2023	49.60	546^th	1234	55.8%
2024	28.61	892^nd	1219	26.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Southwestern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	73.35	267^th	1226	78.2%
2019	63.41	422^nd	1276	66.9%
2021	60.90	332^nd	1017	67.4%
2022	52.89	499^th	1286	61.2%
2023	57.17	458^th	1275	64.1%
2024	52.45	510^th	1251	59.2%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Southwestern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.42	596^th	674	11.6%
2024	33.20	419^th	639	34.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Southwestern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	70.21	294^th	1223	76.0%
2019	69.81	322^nd	1296	75.2%
2021	43.56	514^th	1048	51.0%
2022	47.39	589^th	1286	54.2%
2023	45.47	622^nd	1292	51.9%
2024	26.03	905^th	1264	28.4%

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

Rank History for White students at Southwestern Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	55.84	369^th	889	58.5%
2019	48.78	458^th	905	49.4%
2021	41.09	447^th	813	45.0%
2022	33.81	594^th	898	33.9%
2023	32.91	610^th	895	31.8%
2024	20.35	733^rd	875	16.2%

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 Southwestern Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	267	7	1	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	276
1989	262	6	n/a	2	1	n/a	n/a	271
1990	281	6	1	n/a	1	n/a	n/a	289
1991	268	2	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	270
1992	270	3	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	273
1993	293	5	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	299
1994	291	5	1	2	1	n/a	n/a	300
1995	287	4	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	295
1996	287	4	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	295
1997	326	6	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	335
1998	350	7	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	358
1999	322	6	3	3	0	n/a	n/a	334
2000	293	4	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	299
2001	309	8	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	320
2002	317	6	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	323
2003	317	6	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	323
2004	310	4	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	314
2005	293	2	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	296
2006	271	2	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	275
2007	238	2	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	241
2008	244	10	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	257
2009	270	11	3	1	1	n/a	n/a	286
2010	258	4	3	0	1	n/a	n/a	266
2011	255	1	2	3	2	0	3	266
2012	254	3	1	5	2	0	2	267
2013	247	6	1	2	0	0	2	258
2014	239	7	0	3	0	0	5	254
2015	243	6	0	3	0	0	5	257
2016	231	3	0	2	1	0	5	242
2017	223	3	0	0	3	0	6	235
2018	217	4	0	1	4	0	3	229
2019	203	4	0	2	3	0	2	214
2020	199	4	1	1	0	0	4	209
2021	201	3	2	2	0	0	3	211
2022	190	7	2	8	0	0	4	211
2023	176	6	1	5	1	0	0	189
2024	167	3	0	1	1	0	2	174

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 Southwestern Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	276	14.0	19.7	n/a
1989	271	14.0	19.3	n/a
1990	289	14.0	20.6	n/a
1991	270	14.0	19.2	n/a
1992	273	14.0	19.5	n/a
1993	299	13.8	21.7	n/a
1994	300	14.0	21.4	n/a
1995	295	15.0	19.7	n/a
1996	295	15.0	19.7	n/a
1997	335	14.0	23.9	n/a
1998	358	15.0	23.9	n/a
1999	334	16.0	20.9	n/a
2000	299	16.0	18.7	n/a
2001	320	16.0	20.0	n/a
2002	323	19.0	17.0	17
2003	323	19.0	17.0	17
2004	314	14.0	22.4	22.9
2005	296	15.0	19.7	26.7
2006	275	18.0	15.3	26.2
2007	241	16.0	15.1	29
2008	257	16.0	16.1	35.4
2009	286	18.0	15.9	28.7
2010	266	18.0	14.7	27.4
2011	266	15.0	17.7	30.5
2012	267	16.0	16.6	35.6
2013	258	17.8	14.4	39.1
2014	254	15.5	16.3	40.2
2015	257	16.0	16.0	38.5
2016	242	15.0	16.1	35.5
2017	235	15.4	15.2	42.6
2018	229	15.4	14.8	38.9
2019	214	15.2	14.0	42.5
2020	209	15.1	13.7	40.7
2021	211	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	211	15.1	13.9	38.4
2023	189	15.5	12.1	37.6
2024	174	14.3	12.1	43.7

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 Southwestern Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	276	14.0	19.7	n/a
1989	271	14.0	19.3	n/a
1990	289	14.0	20.6	n/a
1991	270	14.0	19.2	n/a
1992	273	14.0	19.5	n/a
1993	299	13.8	21.7	n/a
1994	300	14.0	21.4	n/a
1995	295	15.0	19.7	n/a
1996	295	15.0	19.7	n/a
1997	335	14.0	23.9	n/a
1998	358	15.0	23.9	n/a
1999	334	16.0	20.9	n/a
2000	299	16.0	18.7	n/a
2001	320	16.0	20.0	n/a
2002	323	19.0	17.0	17
2003	323	19.0	17.0	17
2004	314	14.0	22.4	22.9
2005	296	15.0	19.7	26.7
2006	275	18.0	15.3	26.2
2007	241	16.0	15.1	29
2008	257	16.0	16.1	35.4
2009	286	18.0	15.9	28.7
2010	266	18.0	14.7	27.4
2011	266	15.0	17.7	30.5
2012	267	16.0	16.6	35.6
2013	258	17.8	14.4	39.1
2014	254	15.5	16.3	40.2
2015	257	16.0	16.0	38.5
2016	242	15.0	16.1	35.5
2017	235	15.4	15.2	42.6
2018	229	15.4	14.8	38.9
2019	214	15.2	14.0	42.5
2020	209	15.1	13.7	40.7
2021	211	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	211	15.1	13.9	38.4
2023	189	15.5	12.1	37.6
2024	174	14.3	12.1	43.7

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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