That's according to a McHenry Times analysis of 2022 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 59.8 percent of McHenry County's 3,017 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.
Harvard High School (93.4 percent), Alden-Hebron High School (78.6 percent), and Johnsburg High School (70.9 percent) had the highest failure rates in McHenry County. Prairie Ridge High School (51.5 percent) and Huntley High School (46.2 percent) had the lowest.
Of 12 McHenry County high schools, only one school -- Huntley High School had passing rates of more than 50 percent.
County-wide, Math test failure rates rose from 55 percent in 2019 to 59.8 percent in 2022.
The failure rate increased at 10 McHenry County high schools in 2022, with the most significant increase happening at Alden-Hebron High School (78.6 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).
Huntley High School were the only McHenry 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard High School | 168 | 88.8% | 87.3% | 93.4% |
| Alden-Hebron High School | 28 | 58.3% | 68.8% | 78.6% |
| Johnsburg High School | 148 | 59.7% | 73% | 70.9% |
| Woodstock High School | 228 | 59.6% | 70.8% | 68% |
| Woodstock North High School | 218 | 66.2% | 74.3% | 66.5% |
| Crystal Lake Central High School | 329 | 57.8% | 65.9% | 62.6% |
| Crystal Lake South High School | 306 | 50% | 62.9% | 60.8% |
| Marengo High School | 152 | 56.7% | 62.3% | 60.6% |
| Cary-Grove Community High School | 369 | 49.1% | 57.4% | 57.7% |
| Richmond-Burton High School | 139 | 52.9% | 59.6% | 56.2% |
| Prairie Ridge High School | 278 | 42% | 47.5% | 51.5% |
| Huntley High School | 654 | 51.5% | 54.1% | 46.2% |
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