The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Amboy Jr High School
Amboy Jr High School enrolls a small student body across grades five through eight in a rural community in north-central Illinois. The school sits on the southern edge of Amboy, a town of roughly a few thousand residents in Lee County, and shares a campus with the high school. The town itself is economically mixed, rooted in agriculture and small manufacturing, with a historic walkable downtown along Main Street but limited services locally—residents drive to Dixon for most shopping and substantial employment.
The school's academic results show uneven performance across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency is strongest in eighth grade and in the middle grades. In math, fifth and seventh graders show similar attainment, while sixth grade dips noticeably lower, and eighth grade math proficiency is substantially weaker. Science results, available only for fifth and eighth grades, show modest proficiency in fifth grade and notably low attainment by eighth grade. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint among districts in Lee County. Participation rates in state assessments are high, near universal, which means these numbers represent genuine student outcomes rather than incomplete testing data.
The student body is predominantly white. A small share of students identify as Hispanic; the remainder are multiracial or Black. The school does not report free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, or English learner status, so a parent may want to look into whether the school serves students with these needs and how supports are structured. Enrollment is small—under two hundred students total—which creates both a tight-knit environment and limits the breadth of course offerings and elective options typical of larger schools.
The town is stable but not growing. Population has declined modestly over recent decades, and employment drifted down slightly year-over-year. The housing stock is dominated by homes built before World War II; newer houses on the outskirts range from modest to mid-priced. The median home value is noticeably below both state and national benchmarks, and mortgage affordability is good relative to household income. Civic life centers on a few anchors: the Pankhurst Memorial Library, the Amboy Depot Museum downtown, and parks along the Green River. There is no public transit and no passenger rail. The city itself actively seeks new residential construction and business growth but has not attracted large-scale new development.
No recent district-level changes regarding school operations, curriculum, or major investments were identified in available sources. The state assessment system underwent proficiency-level adjustments in the current year that affect year-to-year trend comparisons, so results cannot yet be compared to prior years.
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