McHenry Times

The 2015 standardized test scores for Woodstock Community Unit School District (CUSD) 200’s elementary schools were below-average for McHenry County, despite the school district reporting above-average per student spending, according to a report by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Woodstock CUSD 200 operates 6 of the 39 elementary schools in McHenry County.

The ISBE report found that only 23.4 percent of Woodstock CUSD 200 elementary students passed the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam while the school district reported the second highest spending of elementary schools in the county at $12,548 per student.

The average passage rate for McHenry County was 37.1 percent, and the average spent per student was $10,927.

McHenry Community Consolidated School District (CCSD) 15, which operates six elementary schools, spent the third highest amount in the county at $12,007 per student and fell slightly below the average PARCC passage rate.

In contrast, Consolidated School District 158, which operates three McHenry County elementary schools, reported the highest passage rate in the county at 52 percent, while spending the least in the county at $8,844 per student.

Crystal Lake CCSD 47 -- McHenry County’s largest school district -- which operates nine elementary schools in the county, also reported above-average scores (45.55 percent passage rate) while posting below-average spending at $10,267 per student.

Cary CCSD 26, which operates three elementary schools in McHenry County, spent $10,006 per student while averaging a 48.6 percent passage rate. Harvard CUSD 50 had the lowest passage rate at 12 percent while spending the slightly below-average amount of $10,885 per student.

Johnsburg CUSD 12 posted a 30.6 percent passage rate and spent $12,005 per student. Marengo-Union 165 spent $9,117 per student and posted a passage rate of 39.1 percent; and Nippersink SD 2 had a passage rate of nearly 36 percent while spending $10,486 per student.

McHenry County school districts operating only one elementary school in the county posted the following passage rates and spending:

Alden Hebron SD 19’s Alden Hebron Elementary School (20.2 percent, $10,508 per student); Prairie Grove CSD 46’s Prairie Grove Elementary School (44.4 percent, $12,948 per student – the highest spending in the county); Riley CCSD 18’s Riley School (47.1 percent, $9,938 per student); Fox River Grove Consolidated SD 3’s Algonquin Road Elementary School (47.4 percent, $11,723 per student); and Harrison SD 36’s Harrison Elementary School (27.9 percent, $11,753 per student).

Middle Schools

Woodstock CUSD’s Northwood Middle School was second to last in passage rate in McHenry County while the school spent the second most of any middle school countywide.

Only 23.6 percent of Northwood Middle School students who took the PARCC exam passed despite the school district spending $12,548 per student. The average passage rate for McHenry County was 39.7 percent, and the average spent per student was $10,954.

Harvard CUSD 50’s Harvard Junior High School posted a lower passage rate on the PARCC test with a passage rate of only 15.8 percent. Harvard CUSD 50’s spending was slightly below average at $10,885 per student.

Prairie Grove Junior High School, which is part of Prairie Grove CSD 46, had the highest passage rate of all schools in the county at 53 percent and the highest spending of $12,948 per student.

In addition to Northwood Middle School, Woodstock CUSD operates Creekside Middle School, which also posted a below-average passage rate of 29.3 while similarly spending an above average of $12,548 per student.

Other schools exceeding average spending while posting below-average PARCC passage rates were: McHenry CCSD 15’s McHenry Middle School (37.6 percent) and Parkland School (29.1 percent), which spent $12,007 per student; and Johnsburg CUSD 12’s Johnsburg Junior High School (32.6 percent), which spent $12,005 per student.

In contrast, Consolidated SD 158’s Heineman Middle School and Marlowe Middle School posted the lowest per student spending of $8,844 while posting above-average passage rates of 48.5 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

Other schools posting above-average passage rates with below-average spending include Crystal Lake CCSD 47’s Bernotas Middle School (52.3 percent), Lundahl Middle School (48.5 percent) and Beardsley Middle School (45.3 percent), all of which spent $10,267 per student; and Nippersink SD 2’s Nippersink Middle School (48.2 percent) while spending a below average of $10,486.

Fox River Grove Consolidated SD 3’s Fox River Grove Middle School also spent an above average $11,723 per student while posting a passage rate of 52.3 percent.

Schools reporting below-average passage rates and below-average per student spending were Alden Hebron SD 19’s Alden-Hebron Middle School (38 percent; $10,508 in per student) and Marengo-Union 165’s Marengo Community Middle School (37.6 percent, $9,117).

High Schools

Despite having the highest per student spending in the county, Marengo CHSD 154’s Marengo High School scored well below McHenry County’s PARCC passage rate average for high schools.

According to the ISBE report, only 13.6 percent of Marengo High School students passed the PARCC exam, while the school spent $15,404 per student.

The average passage rate for McHenry County was 22.5 percent, and the average spent per student was $12,670.

Other schools in the county reporting below-average passage rates while spending above average per student were CHSD 155’s Cary-Grove Community High School and Crystal Lake South High School, both falling slightly below the average at a 22.2 percent passage rate, with the school district spending $14,618 per student.

CHSD 155’s other two schools, Crystal Lake Central High School and Prairie Ridge High School, both reported above-average passage rates of 23.1 percent and 24.6 percent, respectively.

In contrast, Consolidated SD 158’s Huntley High School reported the highest passage rate among high schools in McHenry County at 37.4 percent, despite the school spending the least amount per student countywide -- $8,844.

Other schools in the county reporting above-average passage rates with below-average spending per student were: Woodstock CUSD 200’s Woodstock North High School (24.1 percent) and Woodstock High School (32.1 percent), with the school district spending $12,548 per student; and Johnsburg CUSD 12’s Johnsburg High School (29.1 percent, $12,005).

Alden Hebron SD 19’s Alden-Hebron High School reported a passage rate of 22.1 percent – just shy of the 22.5 county average -- and spent $10,508 per student.

Other schools reporting below-average passage rates and below-average spending were: McHenry CHSD 156’s McHenry West High School (21.3 percent) and McHenry East High School (17.5 percent), with $11,750 in spending per student; and Harvard CUSD 50’s Harvard High School (3.6 percent, $10,885).

The PARCC test is a standardized exam used in several states to evaluate schools and student performance. Illinois began using PARCC tests to assess its students in 2015.