Grundy Reporter

IAR results are in and 54.4% of Grundy County students failed the ELA portion of the test in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The students' overall failure rate in the subject in Grundy County rose by 11.4% compared to the previous school year.

In comparison, schools in Alexander County fared the worst among all Illinois counties, with 87.3% of students failing to meet test requirements.

At the other end of the spectrum, Woodford County had the highest success rate across the state, with 60.7% of its students passing the ELA portion of the IAR.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing toward state standards in English language arts and mathematics.

Recent IAR data shows that while Illinois students improved slightly in the test, math performance remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 28.4% of students met math benchmarks, compared to 31.8% in 2019. However, data also indicates a significant achievement gap based on race and ethnicity. 

The disparities were even more pronounced in math. White students achieved a proficiency rate of 38.7%, while Black students achieved 9.1% and Hispanic students 15.6%. Asian students achieved the highest proficiency rates in both subjects, hitting 68.2% in ELA and 61.4% in math.

School	Students who did not meet standards (%)	Total students tested
Braceville Elementary School	81.1%	74
White Oak Elementary	78.9%	327
Aux Sable Elementary School	75.5%	241
Mazon-Verona-Kinsman Elementary School	65.7%	67
Minooka Elementary School	64.1%	217
Minooka Intermediate School	60.3%	950
Mazon-Verona-Kinsman Middle School	57.9%	140
Coal City Elementary School	57.1%	149
Gardner Elementary School	57%	86
Minooka Junior High School	54.7%	1,006
Shabbona Middle School	51.1%	344
Saratoga Elementary School	47.5%	476
South Wilmington Grade School	46.2%	52
Nettle Creek Elementary School	44.6%	56
Coal City Intermediate School	39.1%	261
Coal City Middle School	21.7%	476