Summary:
The 61480 zip code is home to a single middle school, West Central Middle School, which serves grades 6-8 and is part of the West Central CUSD 235 district. Unfortunately, this school appears to be struggling, with consistently low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and a low district ranking compared to other schools in Illinois.
West Central Middle School has ranked in the bottom quarter of Illinois middle schools over the past 3 school years, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics well below the state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, only 18.5% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 41.2%, and just 6.9% were proficient in Math, compared to 28.4% statewide. The school also has a high percentage of students (67.93%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.
Despite the school's relatively low student-teacher ratio of 12.9, the poor academic outcomes suggest that the instructional practices and quality of the teaching staff may need to be addressed. The data highlights the importance of closely monitoring the performance of individual schools, even within the same district, to identify areas of concern and target interventions and resources accordingly. While the 61480 zip code has only one middle school, the struggles of West Central Middle School indicate that students in this area may not be receiving the quality of education they deserve, and additional support and resources may be needed to improve the school's performance.
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