Illinois schools see small academic gains, but still need improvement

New Illinois public school test data shows reading and math proficiency rates for third- through eighth-grade students increased since 2023. Not so for 11th graders, who performed worse in reading and math.

The recently released Illinois Report Card shows 41% of students in third through eighth grade read at grade level in 2024 compared to 35% the previous school year. Math proficiency increased by over 1 percentage point to 28% in spring 2024.

But for 11th graders in Illinois, only 31% were reading at grade level and 26% performed math proficiently. Not only is that a slight decrease from the previous year, but it also represents a five-percentage point drop in reading and an eight-percentage point drop in math since before the pandemic.

Chronic absenteeism rates continue to improve but lag 2019 rates, meaning schools continue to struggle to engage students, especially minority and low-income students.

There is still more to be done to not only make up for the learning losses and disengagement suffered by students because of school closures during the pandemic, but also to ensure every Illinois student is engaged and prepared to read and perform math at grade level.

Reading and math proficiency increased for Illinois third through eighth graders

Data released on Oct. 30 by the Illinois State Board of Education shows the reading and math proficiency rates for third through eighth grade students on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness improved since the previous year.

In spring 2024, 41.2% of Illinois students in third through eighth grades met proficiency standards in reading, and 28.4% were proficient in math. It marks an increase of nearly 6 percentage points in reading and 1.4 percentage points in math since 2023.

Illinois students in third through eighth grade have finally recovered in reading after rates significantly dropped following the pandemic. Students recorded a 3.4 percentage point increase in the reading proficiency rate between 2019, the last full year prior to the pandemic-era school closures, and the most recent 2024 school year data. However, the math proficiency rate still lags 2019 by 3.4 percentage points.

Reading and math proficiency dropped for Illinois 11th graders

Illinois high school students in 11th grade are required to take the SAT in the spring as their state assessment. Their proficiency in reading and math declined between 2023 and 2024, with 31.1% of students reading at grade level and 26.1% proficient in math this past spring. That marks about a one-half percentage point drop in reading and math proficiency from the previous year.

Since 2019 – the school year before the pandemic – the reading proficiency rate for 11th grade students has dropped each year, except for 2023 when Illinois recorded a nearly two percentage point increase. Math proficiency has dropped each year. With the continued declines, proficiency in reading and math remain below pre-pandemic levels for 11th grade students.

The reading proficiency rate has decreased by 5.1 percentage points since 2019 and math has dropped by 8.3 percentage points.

Reading and math proficiency improve for Illinois Black third through eighth graders

In 2024, the reading and math proficiency rates for third- through eighth-grade Black students on the assessments increased compared to the previous school year. In reading, 21.8% of Black students were at grade level in 2024 compared to 17% in 2023. In math, 9.1% met grade level standards compared to 7.9% in 2023.

The nearly five percentage point increase in reading proficiency for Black students in grades 3-8 helped push the proficiency rate to above pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, the reading proficiency rate surpassed the 2019 rate by 3.5 percentage points.

Yet that still means only about 1 in 4 Black third through eighth graders can read at grade level, and fewer than 1 in 10 can do math at grade level.

The 1.2 percentage point year-over-year increase in math proficiency in 2024 was not enough to reach the pre-pandemic proficiency rate in math. The math proficiency rate still lags the 2019 rate by nearly 3 percentage points.

Reading proficiency improves, math drops for Black 11th graders

The reading proficiency rate for Black 11th graders improved by less than one percentage point in 2024 over the previous year. In 2024, 11.5% of Black 11th graders met reading proficiency standards on the SAT. Despite the improvement, proficiency remains nearly 2 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels, with just 1 in 10 Black 11th graders reading at grade level.

Meanwhile, math proficiency decreased in 2024 for Black 11th grade students. Only 7% of Black 11th graders met grade-level standards in math in 2024, down from 7.2% the previous school year and from 11.1% in 2019, the last full school year prior to the pandemic. That means less than 1 in 10 Black 11th grade student can do math at grade level.

Reading and math proficiency improves for Hispanic students

The reading and math proficiency rates for Illinois’ Hispanic students in grades three through eight improved in 2024. Reading proficiency increased by over 5 percentage points to 28.6% in 2024, while math proficiency increased by over 1 percentage point to 15.6%.

Reading proficiency for Hispanic students has now surpassed 2019 levels by over 2 percentage points, but math proficiency still lags 2019 by nearly 5 percentage points.

That still means fewer than 1 in 3 Hispanic third through eighth graders can read at grade level, and fewer than 1 in 5 can do math at grade level.

The 11th grade reading proficiency rate for Hispanic students slightly increased since 2023 to 17.7% proficient in 2024. Math proficiency in 2024 remains the same as the previous school year at 13.8%. Reading and math proficiency continue to lag pre-pandemic levels among Hispanic 11th graders by nearly 5 percentage points in reading and over 7 percentage points in math. That means fewer than 1 in 6 Hispanic 11th graders can read or do math at grade level.

Reading and math proficiency improves for low-income students

The reading and math proficiency rates for Illinois’ low-income students in grades three through eight improved in 2024 compared to the previous school year. Reading proficiency increased by over 5 percentage points to 26.2% in 2024, while math proficiency increased by 1.5 percentage point to 14.1%.

Reading proficiency has now surpassed 2019 levels prior to the pandemic by 3 percentage points, but math proficiency continues to lag 2019 by over 3 percentage points.

Approximately 1 in 4 low-income third through eighth graders can read at grade level, and fewer than 1 in 6 can do math at grade level.

Reading and math proficiency rates for low-income 11th grade students slightly increased since 2023. Just 15.2% were proficient in reading and 11.2% in math. Despite the minor improvements, reading and math proficiency continues to lag pre-pandemic levels among low-income 11th graders by over 3 percentage points in reading and nearly 6 percentage points in math.

That still means fewer than 1 in 6 low-income 11th graders can read at grade level, and about 1 in 10 can do math at grade level.

Illinois sees better numbers related to chronic absenteeism

After schools were closed to in-person learning during the pandemic, chronic absenteeism – which is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year with or without an excuse – skyrocketed across Illinois and the nation.

In 2019, only 17.5% of Illinois students were chronically absent. Absenteeism peaked at 29.8% in 2022 before gradually decreasing the next two school years. In 2024, 26.3% of Illinois students were listed as chronically absent. Despite two years of declines in the rate of chronic absenteeism, the current rate remains nearly 9 percentage points higher than the rate in 2019.

Chronic absenteeism remains higher among Black, Hispanic and low-income students. In 2024, 40.4% of Black students, 32.9% of Hispanic students and 36.3% of low-income students were chronically absent. Black students recorded the highest rate of chronic absenteeism in Illinois in 2024.

Enrollment continues to drop

Illinois public schools enrolled 1,851,290 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade in the 2023-2024 school year. That marked a drop of 6,500 students from the previous year. It was the first school year since 2015 in which the drop in enrollment was fewer than 10,000 students.

Year-over-year enrollment in Illinois public schools has dropped 13 times during the past 15 years. Only twice, in the 2010-2011 and 2014-2015 school years, did enrollment increase. The largest drop in enrollment was in the 2020-2021 school year, with 69,702 fewer students enrolled compared to the previous school year, followed by 2019-2020, with 27,501 fewer students.

While there were some improvements in proficiency and absenteeism rates in Illinois in 2023-2024, the statistics still paint a bleak picture for many Illinois students, particularly those who are minorities or low-income. It should be a wake-up call to both state lawmakers and local school board members that more must be done to ensure Illinois students are prepared for their futures.