The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Herrin Middle School
Herrin Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in a small city in Southern Illinois, within Herrin Community Unit School District 4. The school enrolls roughly five hundred students drawn primarily from Herrin itself, a compact downtown-centered community with family-owned businesses, civic anchors like the city library and park, and a modest economy anchored in healthcare and the school district.
The school's reading and writing results are markedly stronger than its math performance. In English language arts across the three tested grades, proficiency ranges from better than half of students in sixth grade to two-thirds or higher in seventh and eighth grade. Mathematics proficiency is considerably lower, sitting around one-quarter to one-third of sixth and seventh graders, then rising to roughly half of eighth graders. Science results for eighth grade showed proficiency near one-half of students tested. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Williamson County, the comparison set available for this school. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to math instruction and support, where the gap is most pronounced, to understand how the school is working to close it as students move through the grades.
Student composition is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students identifying as two or more races, Black, Hispanic, and Asian. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner status were not available. Participation rates in state testing are high, consistently above ninety-five percent across subjects.
The district has invested in the school's physical plant. A facilities expansion launched in late 2023 added a new gymnasium, cafeteria, and kitchen to the middle school, upgrades that affect the day-to-day environment students experience. The district also began construction of a wellness facility at the high school as part of the same capital initiative. Those infrastructure improvements are concrete and lasting.
The district participated in a federal Full-Service Community Schools grant that funded outreach workers, expanded clubs and career-pathways programming, and family-connection supports. Federal funding for that program was rescinded effective the end of 2025, ending the initiative early in its second year. That withdrawal is a material change in the wrap-around supports the district had been developing for families.
Herrin itself is a city on modest growth trajectory, with civic life anchored in a walkable downtown core and residential neighborhoods of varying ages. Housing values sit well below both state and national benchmarks, making the area relatively affordable for families. Employment sectors center on healthcare, retail trade, and manufacturing. The school's location in a community with limited regional transit means most families rely on personal vehicles.
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