Du Quoin Middle School, Du Quoin IL

Original Research by School Decision on Du Quoin Middle School

Du Quoin Middle School serves grades five through eight in a small southern Illinois community. The school is located in downtown Du Quoin, a town anchored by historic Main Street and shaped by coal mining heritage and the annual DuQuoin State Fair. The building itself was recently rebuilt, situated within the town's compact footprint rather than on an isolated campus.

State assessment results show a mixed profile across the tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, the school shows strength in upper grades, with students in seventh and eighth grade demonstrating proficiency rates well above the midpoint. Fifth and sixth grade performance in ELA is moderate. Mathematics proficiency is lower across all grades, ranging from low performance in fifth and sixth grade to more moderate results in seventh and eighth. Science results position the school at about the midpoint on the Illinois Science Assessment in both fifth and eighth grade. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Perry County.

The enrollment is small for a middle school, composed entirely of the four grades served. The student body is predominantly white, with the remaining students distributed across Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial categories. State testing data on students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and on students with individualized education plans or English learner status was not available, so a parent may want to look into this further with the school regarding support systems for students with specific needs.

A significant change has affected the school's support landscape. In December 2025, the district ended all after-school programming across its three schools following the elimination of a federal Full-Service Community Schools grant. The K-8 after-school program that served a substantial share of students daily for snacks, homework help, and enrichment is no longer available. Unless funding is restored, this cut remains in place for the remainder of the current school year and represents a material change for working families considering the school. The absence of this program removes a structured support pathway that many families have relied upon.

Housing in Du Quoin is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks. Most residents own their homes in this sparse suburban setting where car ownership is typical and the average commute is short. Employment is concentrated in health care, retail trade, and manufacturing, with major employers including Marshall Browning Hospital, the Prysmian Group cable plant, and several smaller manufacturers and service providers.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 34%

▲ 11 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 779%

School 79% · District 79%

▲ 28 pts above state median

Grade 882%

School 82% · District 82%

▲ 29 pts above state median

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 11 pts above state median

This schoolDu Quoin CUSD 300, 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.