That's according to a Galesburg Reporter analysis of 2022 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 83.9 percent of Knox County's 459 public high school 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.
Abingdon-Avon High School (90.8 percent) and Williamsfield High School (87.5 percent) had the highest failure rates in Knox County. ROWVA Junior/Senior High School (82.9 percent) and Knoxville Senior High School (76 percent) had the lowest.
No Knox County high schools had a passing rate of more than 50 percent of students.
County-wide, Math test failure rates rose from 80.7 percent in 2019 to 83.9 percent in 2022.
The failure rate increased at three Knox County high schools in 2022, with the most significant increase happening at Williamsfield High School (87.5 percent).
Failure rates rose the most in Coles County (82.7 percent), Mercer County (83.5 percent), Pope County (89.8 percent), Union County (91.3 percent), and Henderson County (92.2 percent).
ROWVA Junior/Senior High School and Abingdon-Avon High School were the only Knox County high schools to see Math scores improve between 2019 and 2022.
Statewide, 70 percent of Illinois students failed the 2022 state Math exam, up from 64 percent in 2019.
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 | # of Students | Failing % in 2019 | Failing % in 2021 | Failing % in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abingdon-Avon High School | 54 | 92.5% | 91.8% | 90.8% |
| Williamsfield High School | 24 | 80% | 83.3% | 87.5% |
| Galesburg High School | 265 | 77.7% | 81% | 84.5% |
| ROWVA Junior/Senior High School | 41 | 94.5% | 85.7% | 82.9% |
| Knoxville Senior High School | 75 | 73.1% | 68.8% | 76% |
Alerts Sign-up