McHenry Times

IAR results are in and 53.5% of McHenry 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 McHenry County rose by 11.7% 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
Crosby Elementary School	93.9%	133
Jefferson Elementary School	84.7%	340
Canterbury Elementary School	82.4%	216
Fox River Grove Middle School	76.5%	179
Lake In The Hills Elementary School	76.5%	239
Edgebrook Elementary School	75.6%	86
Harvard Junior High School	74%	538
Coventry Elementary School	70.7%	304
Harrison Elementary School	69.8%	252
Chauncey H. Duker School	69.5%	407
Husmann Elementary School	68.4%	253
Briargate Elementary School	68.3%	240
Johnsburg Elementary School	67.9%	352
Riverwood Elementary School	65.4%	295
Cotton Creek School	64.5%	279
Hilltop Elementary School	64.3%	118
Ulysses S. Grant Intermediate School	64%	222
Locust Elementary School	63.7%	121
Indian Prairie Elementary School	63.2%	220
Three Oaks School	60.4%	242
Dean Street Elementary School	59.5%	195
Lundahl Middle School	59.1%	773
Valley View Elementary School	58.6%	256
West Elementary School	58.2%	268
Johnsburg Junior High School	58.2%	354
Landmark Elementary School	57.6%	104
Deer Path Elementary School	57.4%	270
Marengo Community Middle School	57.1%	317
Prairiewood Elementary School	56.4%	204
North Elementary School	56.2%	345
Parkland School	56%	668
Algonquin Road Elementary School	55.8%	86
Olson Elementary School	55%	240
Westwood Elementary School	55%	209
Martin Elementary School	54.6%	720
McHenry Middle School	53.1%	672
Lincoln Prairie Elementary School	52.7%	203
Greenwood Elementary School	51.9%	162
Richmond Grade School	51.6%	215
Hannah Beardsley Middle School	51.2%	821
Richard F. Bernotas Middle School	51.1%	751
Woods Creek Elementary School	50.6%	265
Glacier Ridge Elementary School	50%	194
Kenneth E. Neubert Elementary School	49.8%	223
Conley Elementary School	49%	540
South Elementary School	48%	202
Prairie Grove Junior High School	47.5%	339
Prairie Grove Elementary School	46.2%	169
Algonquin Middle School	46%	376
Cary Junior High School	45.4%	714
Alden-Hebron Middle School	45.2%	93
Mary Endres Elementary School	45.1%	228
Alden-Hebron Elementary School	44.7%	85
Riley Community Consolidated School	43.8%	178
Leggee Elementary School	43.1%	450
Spring Grove Elementary School	42.3%	130
Nippersink Middle School	39.3%	390
Heineman Middle School	38.9%	732
Eastview Elementary School	35%	160
Marlowe Middle School	34.9%	1,143
Northwood Middle School	32.9%	617
Creekside Middle School	28.1%	708