Carbondale Reporter

More than 4 in 10 Williamson County public students aren't at grade level based on their performance in the English portion of the 2023 SAT.

That's according to a Carbondale Reporter analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 43.4% of Williamson County's 4,197 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.

Washington Middle School (59.9%), Herrin Community Unit School District 4 Elementary School (48.3%) and Crab Orchard Elementary School (48%) had the highest failure rates in Williamson County. Meanwhile, Washington Elementary School (34.5%) and Adams School (26.9%) had the lowest.

Of 14 Williamson County high schools, 13, including Herrin Community Unit School District 4 Elementary School, Crab Orchard Elementary School, and Marion Junior High School had passing rates of more than 50%.

Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 50.6% in 2021 to 43.4% in 2023.

The failure rate rose in one Williamson County high school in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Herrin Community Unit School District 4 Elementary School (48.3%).

Data shows that the highest failure rates growths were seen in Christian County (72.5%), Hancock County (73.8%), Cook County (74.1%), White County (74.1%), and Morgan County (76.7%).

Statewide, 39.9% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state English exam, down from 64% 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 2021	Failing % in 2022	Failing % in 2023
Washington Middle School	307	63.8%	68.9%	59.9%
Herrin Community Unit School District 4 Elementary School	491	50.2%	46%	48.3%
Crab Orchard Elementary School	204	58.2%	48%	48%
Marion Junior High School	700	50.8%	51.3%	47.6%
Lincoln Elementary School	137	51.2%	52.2%	46%
Herrin Middle School	472	51.8%	48.7%	42.8%
Lincoln Elementary School	233	54%	45.5%	40.8%
Carterville Junior High School	361	40.6%	43.8%	40.1%
Carterville Intermediate School	516	47.6%	40.5%	38.5%
Jefferson Elementary School	108	61.6%	52.6%	38%
Longfellow Elementary School	108	54%	41.2%	37%
Tri-C Elementary School	182	36.3%	39.6%	35.1%
Washington Elementary School	229	43.3%	37.9%	34.5%
Adams School	149	50.9%	32.1%	26.9%