The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in Science. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on North Ridge Middle School
North Ridge Middle School is a public middle school serving seventh and eighth grade in Danville, Illinois, a small county-seat city in the working-class Midwest that has experienced sustained population decline. The school enrolls a moderate-sized cohort, with the student body majority Black, a substantial minority Hispanic, and white and multiracial students also present.
The school's academic performance on state assessments is significantly below proficiency benchmarks. In seventh-grade English language arts, about one-fifth of students scored at proficient or above. In eighth-grade English, the share rose modestly. Eighth-grade science results were similarly in the low range. Seventh-grade math was particularly weak, with single-digit proficiency. Eighth-grade math fared only slightly better, also in single digits. These results position North Ridge well below the midpoint of schools in Vermilion County on overall proficiency.
The school's measured participation rates in testing have been strong, ranging from the high 90s, which means these results reflect actual student performance rather than a testing-access issue. The school did participate in the 2024-25 assessment cycle, though the state has noted a change in cut scores for proficiency this year, making trend comparison uncertain.
What matters for a parent considering this school is understanding what these numbers signal about instruction and student support. North Ridge operates within the context of a district-wide math challenge: Danville CCSD 118 contracted with an independent math consultant in early 2024 to address persistently low proficiency districtwide, setting an explicit goal of moving students upward. That consulting effort was still in early stages when these test results were administered. For families choosing between middle schools or evaluating whether their child needs additional support, the low absolute proficiency warrants a direct conversation with school leadership about the math intervention underway, what tutoring or support structures exist, and what progress is visible in classroom work beyond state testing.
State assessment data was not available for grades below seventh, and no graduation data applies since the school does not serve high school grades. Free and reduced price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner counts were not reported and may not be available. School discipline data, attendance patterns, specific course offerings, and staffing were likewise absent from the available data.
Danville itself offers limited economic momentum. The city has contracted in population for decades and ranks among the worst in the nation for metro-area population loss. Housing is affordable, with median home values well below state and national benchmarks and rent costs modest relative to household income. Employment anchors the VA Illiana Health Care System, manufacturing, and retail; the civic fabric includes a compact historic downtown with a public library and municipal parks. Public transit is limited to weekday and early-evening service. For families commuting or establishing themselves here, the housing affordability is real, but the economic backdrop is one of decline rather than growth.
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