How many students failed their math exams in St. Clair County in 2023?

Marissa Junior and Senior High School Principal Missy Meyer (2023) | Marissa Junior and Senior High School

By Metro East Sun

Oct 3, 2024

Nearly 7 in 10 St. Clair County public high school students aren't at grade level in math.

That's according to a Metro East Sun analysis of 2023 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 65.1% of St. Clair County's 630 public high school students — approximately 410 students — failed the math portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and have “minimal (or) incomplete… understanding of the knowledge and skills relative to Illinois Learning Standards.”

Students can achieve four proficiencies in their subjects: partially met, approaching, meets, and exceeds standards. This report concludes students who partially met or approached the standards have failed in the subject.

Out of the two St. Clair County schools, Marissa Junior and Senior High School (83%) had the highest failure rate in the county. O'Fallon High School (63.6%) had the lowest.

Countywide, math test failure rates fell from 91.8% in 2021 to 65.1% in 2023.

Statewide, failure rates increased the most in Wayne County, Greene County, Sangamon County, Pike County, and Pulaski County, where the percentage of students who failed the math exam rose to 74.1%, 86.4%, 95.6%, 96.7%, and 100%, respectively.

O'Fallon High School and Marissa Junior and Senior High School were the St. Clair County high schools to see math scores improve between 2021 and 2023.

Statewide, 75.6% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state math exam, up from 64% in 2021.

The SAT test is administered to Illinois high school sophomores “to fulfill the requirement that students take an assessment for college and career readiness in order to receive a regular high school diploma.”

Math Failure Rates in St. Clair County High Schools in 2023