Jefferson Middle School, Champaign IL

Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School in Champaign is a school of about the enrollment size typical for its grade band, serving grades six through eight. The student body is diverse: roughly half the enrollment is Black, with smaller shares of white, Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch status data was not available; the school's socioeconomic profile would merit checking directly with the district.

State testing data from this school year shows a mixed picture in math and English language arts, the two core subjects tested district-wide. In ELA, the school's results are split by grade: sixth grade proficiency sits at a lower level, seventh grade reaches just above half of students meeting the standard, and eighth grade is near that same mark. Math is notably weaker across the board. Sixth-grade math proficiency is in the low range, seventh grade reaches roughly one in three students, and eighth grade dips below where sixth grade started. Science testing occurred only in eighth grade, where proficiency is around one in three students. Participation rates in all subjects are very high, in the high nineties, indicating students are taking these tests.

Compared to other districts in Champaign County, Jefferson's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades falls below the midpoint. The school sits below what is typical for the county, and a parent considering it would want to understand what academic support exists and what the school's trajectory has been. State testing cut scores changed this year, which can shift how results compare to prior years, so trend data is not yet stable.

The school sits within Champaign Unit 4, a district that has undergone structural changes in recent years. In 2023, the district adopted a significant restructuring plan that eliminated its balanced calendar, converted two schools to PreK-8 configurations, and reassigned some students. The district has also made a pedagogical commitment to AVID, a college-readiness framework centered on academic writing, vocabulary, and note-taking strategies, with all three of the district's middle schools now designated AVID National Demonstration Schools. This means teaching practices around these core skills are woven through classrooms at Jefferson.

Champaign itself is a college town centered on the University of Illinois, with a historic downtown undergoing housing growth and a separate Campustown district serving the university. The city has seen significant residential development in both the campus and downtown areas. Housing costs in the broader area are moderate relative to national benchmarks but have risen modestly in the past year. Employment is anchored by education and healthcare, followed by manufacturing and logistics. For families considering the school, context includes a walkable downtown core and active civic infrastructure through the public library, parks, and bus transit, though walkability varies in older neighborhoods outside the downtown.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 23% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 31%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 22% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 38% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 40% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 44% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 33% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

This schoolChampaign CUSD 4, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.