Illinois Hits 15-Year High in Graduation Rates Amid ACT Score Concerns
The graduation rate for Illinois high school seniors reached a 15-year high this year, with 89% of students completing high school. However, performance on the ACT exam was lower than expected, with average scores below the national average.
Despite these concerns, officials attribute the increased graduation rates to new state funding and various strategies implemented by school districts, including providing more Advanced Placement classes and opportunities to make up failed classes. Illinois Education Superintendent Tony Sanders credits the $3 billion in new funding since 2017 for helping drive the rate up.
However, absenteeism remains a significant issue, with about 25% of all Illinois students missing at least 10% of school last year. This is higher than the previous pre-pandemic rate and has been improving over the past three years but still a concern.
The state's high school graduation rates are particularly notable given the lower ACT composite score, which was 19.4 this year, compared to the national average of 20.1 for the class of 2016. Chicago Public Schools, in particular, struggled with low ACT scores, averaging 15.1 in English Language Arts and 15.8 in math.
While officials argue that the old proficiency standards were too challenging and led to mislabeling high-achieving students as not proficient, some critics remain skeptical about the impact of these changes on student performance. The state has recalculated past proficiency rates to conform to new standards, which may complicate comparisons with previous years' data.
Despite concerns about ACT scores and absenteeism, officials point to rising numbers of Illinois graduates enrolling in college, albeit at a slower pace than expected. Elementary school students showed improvements in test scores, but the state's changes to the proficiency bar mean that year-to-year comparisons are no longer possible.
School districts face significant challenges, including addressing the needs of high-poverty and high-disability student populations, providing access to resources such as food, healthcare, and counseling, while also fulfilling their mission to educate students.
The graduation rate for Illinois high school seniors reached a 15-year high this year, with 89% of students completing high school. However, performance on the ACT exam was lower than expected, with average scores below the national average.
Despite these concerns, officials attribute the increased graduation rates to new state funding and various strategies implemented by school districts, including providing more Advanced Placement classes and opportunities to make up failed classes. Illinois Education Superintendent Tony Sanders credits the $3 billion in new funding since 2017 for helping drive the rate up.
However, absenteeism remains a significant issue, with about 25% of all Illinois students missing at least 10% of school last year. This is higher than the previous pre-pandemic rate and has been improving over the past three years but still a concern.
The state's high school graduation rates are particularly notable given the lower ACT composite score, which was 19.4 this year, compared to the national average of 20.1 for the class of 2016. Chicago Public Schools, in particular, struggled with low ACT scores, averaging 15.1 in English Language Arts and 15.8 in math.
While officials argue that the old proficiency standards were too challenging and led to mislabeling high-achieving students as not proficient, some critics remain skeptical about the impact of these changes on student performance. The state has recalculated past proficiency rates to conform to new standards, which may complicate comparisons with previous years' data.
Despite concerns about ACT scores and absenteeism, officials point to rising numbers of Illinois graduates enrolling in college, albeit at a slower pace than expected. Elementary school students showed improvements in test scores, but the state's changes to the proficiency bar mean that year-to-year comparisons are no longer possible.
School districts face significant challenges, including addressing the needs of high-poverty and high-disability student populations, providing access to resources such as food, healthcare, and counseling, while also fulfilling their mission to educate students.
I'm kinda surprised that graduation rates are up despite the ACT scores being lower than expected... like, shouldn't it be the other way around? 
I guess the new state funding and extra AP classes made a big difference, tho 
. But what's really worrying me is all this absenteeism stuff - 25% of students missing at least 10% of school last year? 
That's just not cool, you know? 
We need to figure out ways to help those students stay engaged and on track, 'specially with the state changes making it harder to compare data... 
.
But then... 
ACT scores are lower than expected... 
and absenteeism is still a thing? 
! 89% of students completin' high school is straight fire 
. But, gotta ask, what's the deal with them ACT scores? Average score was below the national average 
. Like 25% of students missin' at least 10% of school last year is a red flag 
.
, with a 15-year high in '25. That's some serious growth! 
.
. And it's great to see that more students are graduating and going on to college - that's gotta be a positive trend 
.
. And what about those high-poverty and high-disability student populations? Those districts are gonna have a tough time providing all the resources they need to give their students the best shot at success 
, but we also can't ignore the challenges that schools still face in the US 
.
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... 19.4 is still pretty low, especially compared to the national average. It's all well and good that more kids are graduating, but we need to see some real growth here, you feel? 