Cahokia High School Principal Mr. Anson Mitchell (2023) | Cahokia High School
Cahokia High School Principal Mr. Anson Mitchell (2023) | Cahokia High School
That's according to an analysis from Metro East Sun of test scores compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that in the 2023-24 school year, 74.3% of St. Clair County's 3,376 public high school students failed the ELA 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.
Cahokia High School (98.2%), East St. Louis Senior High School (95.3%) and Southern Illinois University Charter School of East St. Louis (93.4%) had the highest failure rates in St. Clair County in the 2023-24 school year. Meanwhile, Freeburg Community High School (56.7%) and Mascoutah High School (54.1%) had the lowest.
Countywide, English test failure rates rose from 71.7% in the 2022-23 school year to 74.3% in the 2023-24 school year.
The failure rate rose in nine St. Clair County high schools in the 2023-24 school year, with the most significant increase happening at Marissa Junior and Senior High School, where the failure rate rose by 14.2%, reaching 93% overall.
Data shows that the largest growth in failure rates occurred in Vermilion County, which increased by 20.8% to 89.7%; Clark County, which grew by 22% to 89.3%; Kendall County, which increased by 24.1% to 89.4%; Fayette County, which grew by 24.6% to 91.2%; and Shelby County, which increased by 27.3% to 92.3%.
East St. Louis Senior High School, Southern Illinois University Charter School of East St. Louis, New Athens High School, and Freeburg Community High School were the St. Clair County high schools to see improvements between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.
Statewide, 67.7% of Illinois students failed the 2023-24 school year state English exam, down from 68.4% in the 2022-23 school year.
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."
| High School | Student Count | Failure Rate in 2022-23 School Year | Failure Rate in 2023-24 School Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cahokia High School | 164 | 94.8% | 98.2% |
| East St. Louis Senior High School | 339 | 97.9% | 95.3% |
| Southern Illinois University Charter School of East St. Louis | 30 | 96.6% | 93.4% |
| Marissa Junior and Senior High School | 43 | 78.8% | 93% |
| Dupo High School | 56 | 81.5% | 83.9% |
| Belleville West High School | 516 | 77.4% | 80.6% |
| Collinsville High School | 460 | 76.7% | 80.6% |
| Lebanon High School | 35 | 68.9% | 74.3% |
| Belleville East High School | 646 | 70% | 71% |
| New Athens High School | 32 | 71.5% | 68.8% |
| O'Fallon High School | 590 | 55% | 60.7% |
| Freeburg Community High School | 164 | 61% | 56.7% |
| Mascoutah High School | 301 | 51% | 54.1% |
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