The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in English language arts. The lowest is 31% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Floyd Henson Jr High Sch
Floyd Henson Jr High School sits in Flora, a small city in southern Illinois shaped by its railroad heritage and anchored by manufacturing and healthcare employment. The school serves grades six through eight with an enrollment of just over three hundred students, drawn almost entirely from the immediate area.
The student body is predominantly white, with small representation across other racial and ethnic groups. Free and reduced price lunch data was not available, and neither was data on students receiving special education services or English learners, so a parent may want to look into those questions directly with the school. The school's demographic composition largely mirrors the community's own makeup.
Academic performance shows a picture of uneven attainment across subjects and grades. In English language arts, the school demonstrates clear strength. Sixth graders reached proficiency at a solid rate, seventh graders at a notably high rate, and eighth graders also performed well. This progression and these levels represent the school's clearest area of academic accomplishment.
Mathematics tells a different story. Sixth grade math proficiency sits below half. Seventh grade rises above half, and eighth grade reaches a stronger level still. The school shows upward movement as students progress through grades, which may reflect either curriculum design or the cumulative effect of students working at grade level over time, but the starting point in sixth grade math is notably low. A parent interested in math support or acceleration may want to discuss with the school how it addresses the gap between sixth and eighth grade performance and what interventions are in place for students entering below the midline.
Science proficiency in eighth grade is a soft spot. The school reported testing results for eighth grade science only, and that result was substantially below proficiency. Testing data for grade five science was not available. Science is the weakest performing subject visible in the data, and a parent should feel comfortable asking the school directly about its science curriculum, instructional time, and plans for improvement in this area.
State testing data for grades three, four, and five was not available because Floyd Henson is a junior high serving grades six through eight only; those elementary grades are not tested at this school.
The school's proficiency index, which averages across all tested subjects and grades, places it at the top of the comparison set of districts in Clay County. This position reflects the strength in English language arts offsetting the weaker math and science results, but the comparison is to other county districts, not to a broader state or national peer set.
Flora itself is a compact, walkable city with a revitalized historic downtown, but growth is slow. Employment declined modestly from 2023 to 2024. Housing values are low relative to Illinois and the nation, making homeownership affordable, but new residential development is scattered. The community relies on manufacturing, healthcare, and retail as major employment sectors. The city uses enterprise zones and other economic development tools to attract business, but faces headwinds from Illinois's property tax burden.
For a family considering Floyd Henson, the school offers a smaller, community-embedded junior high environment with clear literacy instruction but uneven performance in mathematics and science. The student body is small and demographically homogeneous. A parent might want to ask the school specifically about its math support structures for sixth graders, its science program and instructional resources, and what special services or programs it offers beyond the core academics. The school's data does not reveal information about clubs, athletics, arts, or career pathways, so those conversations with the school will matter.
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