The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Auburn Jr High at Divernon
Auburn Junior High at Divernon is a public middle school serving grades six through eight in a small, historically rooted village south of Springfield. The school sits at the center of the community, a few blocks from the Divernon square and library, on the grounds of the former local high school. It operates as part of Auburn CUSD 10, the district that consolidated Divernon's original school system years ago when enrollment declined.
The school enrolls a small student body, with roughly balanced cohorts across the three grades. The student population is predominantly white, with a modest representation of students of color; specific counts for free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special populations such as English learners or students with IEPs were not available. Testing participation rates are high, close to full in both mathematics and English language arts across grades six through eight.
In English language arts, the school shows clear strength. Proficiency in grade six stands well above half, and proficiency in both grade seven and eight is notably higher, with most students meeting or exceeding state standards in reading and writing. The pattern suggests the school's literacy instruction is working.
Mathematics performance is substantially weaker. In grades six, seven, and eight, proficiency rates fall between roughly one-third and two-fifths, well below the school's performance in ELA. This gap is large enough that a parent may want to look into what approaches the school is using to address math achievement and whether additional support or intervention structures are in place. Science proficiency in grade eight is moderate, in the mid-range. State testing data for grades three through five were not available, as the school serves only middle grades and does not test younger students.
On a comparison of overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades against other districts in Sangamon County, Auburn Junior High at Divernon sits above the midpoint among the county's districts, a solid position that reflects the strength in ELA balancing the weaker math results.
Divernon itself is a car-dependent village of modest size, with a compact historic center and predominantly single-family housing stock built many decades ago. Long-standing family businesses anchor local commerce, though most working residents commute north to Springfield. The housing market shows thin inventory and modest activity, with home values in the lower-middle range for the region. The village approved a tax-increment financing district in recent years to attract development after losing its independent school district and earlier economic anchors like coal mining and rail operations. There is no public transit in the village; families navigate by personal vehicle and proximity to Interstate 55.
No recent major changes to Auburn CUSD 10's programs, governance, or operations were found in available sources.
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