Is Sparta High School a good school?

Sparta High School ranks 412 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sparta High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 339 students attended Sparta High School.

What is the racial makeup of Sparta High School?

Students at Sparta High School are 76% White, 14% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Sparta High School?

Sparta High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Evansville Attendance Center Elementary : Sparta Lincoln School

Sparta High School

Summary:

Sparta High School is a public high school located in Sparta, Illinois, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 327 students. The school is part of the Sparta CUSD 140 district, which is ranked 645 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sparta High School consistently underperforms compared to the state average on standardized tests, with only 11.1% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in SAT Mathematics and 22.2% proficient or better in SAT English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 26.1% and 31.1%, respectively. The school's four-year graduation rate has been declining, from 87.3% in 2019-2020 to 78.2% in 2023-2024, and its dropout rate has been increasing, from 5.0% to 4.1% during the same period. Additionally, Sparta High School has a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate of 31.8% compared to the state average of 17.9% in 2019-2020. The school serves a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 59.63% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as Red Bud High School, Sparta High School generally underperforms in terms of test scores, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. However, the school performs relatively well in serving its special education and disabled student populations, ranking 66th and 67th out of Illinois high schools, respectively, in 2022-2023. Despite the increased spending per student, from $11,542 in 2019-2020 to $15,629 in 2022-2023, the school's academic outcomes have not shown significant improvement.

Detail:

Public 9-12

205 W Hood St
Sparta, IL 62286-2006

(618) 443-4341

District: Sparta CUSD 140

SchoolDigger Rank:
412^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,160

Feeder schools for Sparta High School:

Elementary:	Evansville Attendance Center
	Sparta Lincoln School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.1

Number of students: 339

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.4%

African American:

13.6%

Two or more races:

5.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 62.8%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Sparta High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sparta High School ranks worse than 59.1% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.01. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Sparta 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 (76.4%), African American (13.6%), two or more races (5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 62.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sparta High School is 16.1. (See more...)

Compare Sparta High School employs 21 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sparta High School is $16,160.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sparta High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Sparta High School 412^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Sparta High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Sparta CUSD 140:

SchoolDigger ranks Sparta CUSD 140 645^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sparta High School

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Rank History for all students at Sparta High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	42.90	398^th	586	32.1%
2004	36.86	440^th	592	25.7%
2005	52.35	326^th	590	44.7%
2006	35.70	442^nd	596	25.8%
2007	41.84	405^th	612	33.8%
2008	42.00	422^nd	624	32.4%
2009	37.98	449^th	632	29.0%
2010	27.24	504^th	643	21.6%
2011	32.95	477^th	655	27.2%
2012	48.56	389^th	665	41.5%
2013	28.34	509^th	670	24.0%
2014	30.29	501^st	670	25.2%
2015	34.14	387^th	614	37.0%
2016	15.30	570^th	643	11.4%
2017	27.59	485^th	642	24.5%
2018	28.72	479^th	647	26.0%
2019	42.29	408^th	701	41.8%
2021	22.46	532^nd	688	22.7%
2022	33.68	468^th	699	33.0%
2023	34.88	469^th	699	32.9%
2024	38.01	412^th	697	40.9%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sparta High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	59.56	96^th	473	79.7%
2023	81.31	66^th	476	86.1%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	38.05	379^th	585	35.2%
2019	50.44	291^st	639	54.5%
2021	40.34	339^th	611	44.5%
2022	40.38	385^th	626	38.5%
2023	30.43	473^rd	644	26.6%
2024	30.99	425^th	639	33.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sparta High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.32	475^th	620	23.4%
2019	44.66	369^th	665	44.5%
2021	26.74	459^th	639	28.2%
2022	47.84	338^th	658	48.6%
2023	30.17	458^th	656	30.2%
2024	50.40	291^st	664	56.2%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Sparta High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	70.16	67^th	428	84.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sparta High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	29.16	451^st	619	27.1%
2019	37.56	427^th	675	36.7%
2021	18.45	533^rd	653	18.4%
2022	17.83	555^th	664	16.4%
2023	37.35	423^rd	668	36.7%
2024	27.95	459^th	668	31.3%

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

Rank History for African American students at Sparta High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.70	183^rd	253	27.7%
2019	20.46	277^th	299	7.4%
2022	18.67	288^th	294	2.0%
2023	23.59	250^th	301	16.9%

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

Rank History for White students at Sparta High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.34	480^th	548	12.4%
2019	34.03	357^th	552	35.3%
2021	12.85	513^th	553	7.2%
2022	26.93	428^th	560	23.6%
2023	20.14	491^st	557	11.8%
2024	30.97	369^th	554	33.4%

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 Sparta High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	518	76	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	595
1990	505	65	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	571
1991	480	71	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	553
1992	472	85	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	558
1993	471	98	2	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	576
1994	488	92	3	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	587
1995	487	59	2	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	553
1996	487	59	2	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	553
1997	471	53	1	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	531
1998	432	68	3	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	508
1999	453	61	2	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	523
2000	423	55	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	485
2001	431	59	3	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	496
2002	432	63	4	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	505
2003	432	63	4	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	505
2004	412	73	4	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	497
2005	379	68	3	11	0	n/a	n/a	8	469
2006	361	76	3	9	0	n/a	n/a	6	455
2007	369	74	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	11	458
2008	349	59	1	4	0	n/a	n/a	12	425
2009	336	57	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	13	411
2010	340	64	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	21	430
2011	299	63	1	3	1	0	22	0	389
2012	274	68	1	4	1	0	28	0	376
2013	286	71	1	1	0	0	26	0	385
2014	266	61	2	1	0	1	27	0	358
2015	258	68	3	1	0	0	26	0	356
2016	255	69	4	1	0	0	31	0	360
2017	243	58	5	2	0	0	28	0	336
2018	269	57	3	4	0	1	15	0	349
2019	266	46	4	3	1	0	17	0	337
2020	249	51	2	8	1	1	21	0	333
2021	252	58	2	9	1	0	21	0	343
2022	238	48	1	12	0	2	20	0	321
2023	240	53	0	13	1	1	19	0	327
2024	259	46	0	14	0	0	17	3	339

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 Sparta High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	595	40.6	14.6	n/a
1990	571	40.6	14.0	n/a
1991	553	38.6	14.3	n/a
1992	558	35.6	15.6	n/a
1993	576	36.2	15.9	n/a
1994	587	36.6	16.0	n/a
1995	553	38.6	14.3	n/a
1996	553	38.6	14.3	n/a
1997	531	38.6	13.8	n/a
1998	508	37.9	13.4	n/a
1999	523	37.4	14.0	n/a
2000	485	37.0	13.1	n/a
2001	496	38.0	13.1	n/a
2002	505	31.0	16.3	24.8
2003	505	31.0	16.3	24.8
2004	497	32.0	15.5	34.4
2005	469	33.0	14.2	35.4
2006	455	32.5	14.0	38.1
2007	458	30.0	15.3	40.3
2008	425	26.0	16.3	40
2009	411	31.5	13.0	43.5
2010	430	30.5	14.1	46.9
2011	389	30.0	12.9	49.6
2012	376	30.6	12.2	50.3
2013	385	35.3	10.8	52.2
2014	358	30.0	11.9	55
2015	356	28.0	12.7	61.2
2016	360	26.0	13.8	62.5
2017	336	27.9	12.0	61
2018	349	27.5	12.6	50.1
2019	337	28.2	11.9	49.6
2020	333	26.0	12.8	55.9
2021	343	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	321	25.1	12.7	58.3
2023	327	25.0	13.0	59.6
2024	339	21.0	16.1	62.8

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 Sparta High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	595	40.6	14.6	n/a
1990	571	40.6	14.0	n/a
1991	553	38.6	14.3	n/a
1992	558	35.6	15.6	n/a
1993	576	36.2	15.9	n/a
1994	587	36.6	16.0	n/a
1995	553	38.6	14.3	n/a
1996	553	38.6	14.3	n/a
1997	531	38.6	13.8	n/a
1998	508	37.9	13.4	n/a
1999	523	37.4	14.0	n/a
2000	485	37.0	13.1	n/a
2001	496	38.0	13.1	n/a
2002	505	31.0	16.3	24.8
2003	505	31.0	16.3	24.8
2004	497	32.0	15.5	34.4
2005	469	33.0	14.2	35.4
2006	455	32.5	14.0	38.1
2007	458	30.0	15.3	40.3
2008	425	26.0	16.3	40
2009	411	31.5	13.0	43.5
2010	430	30.5	14.1	46.9
2011	389	30.0	12.9	49.6
2012	376	30.6	12.2	50.3
2013	385	35.3	10.8	52.2
2014	358	30.0	11.9	55
2015	356	28.0	12.7	61.2
2016	360	26.0	13.8	62.5
2017	336	27.9	12.0	61
2018	349	27.5	12.6	50.1
2019	337	28.2	11.9	49.6
2020	333	26.0	12.8	55.9
2021	343	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	321	25.1	12.7	58.3
2023	327	25.0	13.0	59.6
2024	339	21.0	16.1	62.8

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.

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