The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Science. The lowest is 37% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gillespie Middle School
Gillespie Middle School serves grades six through eight in a small rural city in Macoupin County, Illinois, part of the outer St. Louis Metro East region. The school enrolls about two hundred sixty students, roughly evenly split across the three grades. The enrollment is almost entirely white, with a very small population of Black and multiracial students and no Hispanic or Asian students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available.
The school's state testing results show modest proficiency across the tested subjects. In math, proficiency ranges from near thirty percent in grade six to about forty-four percent in grade eight, indicating students build some ground as they move through the school. English language arts proficiency follows a similar pattern, starting at about thirty-seven percent in grade six and climbing to about forty-two percent in grade eight. Science proficiency at grade eight stands at about fifty percent. These are below-average results when compared to other districts in Macoupin County; Gillespie Middle School falls in the bottom quartile of schools countywide on an overall proficiency index. Test participation rates are strong across grades, exceeding ninety-five percent in all tested areas, suggesting the school captures a complete picture of student learning. Neither previous-year data nor trend information is available, so whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability cannot be determined from the records provided.
The school sits on a consolidated campus with Gillespie High School rather than embedded in the downtown. The town itself is a former coal-mining city presenting itself as an affordable bedroom community with a compact, revitalized downtown along Macoupin Street, where civic life centers on the Illinois Coal Museum, library, and small retail and restaurant businesses. Most residents own their homes and rely on personal vehicles; there is no fixed-route public transit.
Two context factors warrant mention. First, school property tax levies in the district have risen substantially each year, climbing in a meaningful way from the prior year to the 2025 levy, which represents a continuing upward trend in the school portion of property tax bills. Second, the district faces an ongoing, location-specific geophysical risk. Active coal mine subsidence has damaged homes near school property, and district maps show that portions of Gillespie Middle School sit over undermined ground. The high school, though not currently undermined, would likely suffer damage from a major subsidence event in the area. The district previously lost Benld Elementary to subsidence and has had to invest substantially in replacement facilities. The administration is developing evacuation protocols in response to recent subsidence activity. This is a durable facility and safety consideration a family relocating to the area should understand and discuss directly with the school and district.
Special education enrollment data and English learner enrollment data were not available. Information on specific course offerings, staffing, attendance rates, or disciplinary practices at the school was not provided and is not included here.
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