The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Chillicothe Jr High
Chillicothe Jr High serves students in grades six through eight and is part of Illinois Valley Central USD 321. The school is small, with a combined enrollment across its three grade bands. The student body is predominantly White, with smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and Black students, and very few Asian students. Data on the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, the count of special education students, and English learners was not available.
State assessment results show a mixed picture across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, the school's strongest performance is in grade seven, where proficiency was substantially higher than in math. Grade eight also shows solid performance in ELA. Sixth-grade ELA proficiency is moderate. Mathematics proficiency tells a different story: grades six and eight both show low achievement, while grade seven proficiency is notably stronger. Grade eight science proficiency sits at about the midpoint. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the districts in Peoria County, suggesting academic results that are competitive within the regional comparison set, though with visible gaps in mathematics at certain grade levels.
Participation rates in state testing were near universal across the grades for which results were reported, indicating the school engaged students in the assessment process. A note on data limitations: the school serves grades six through eight only, so no high school graduation rates apply. Test results for grades three, four, and five appear in the state system because the state tests those grades; this school does not serve them, so those results are not reported here.
Chillicothe is a small riverfront city about eighteen miles north of Peoria on the Illinois River, part of the Peoria metro area. The community has a preserved historic downtown along North 2nd and 4th Streets with antique shops, restaurants, and a working Art Deco movie theater, though observers note that the widening of Illinois Route 29 divided the town and has left downtown quieter than it might otherwise be. The built environment outside downtown is residential with a mix of bungalows and mid-century ranch homes. Civic functions and the school district office are located downtown, while the junior high sits in a residential area on West Truitt Avenue. Illinois Valley Central High School occupies a separate campus on the west edge of town.
The housing market in Chillicothe is affordable. Home values have grown modestly, and properties cost substantially less than the state and national benchmarks. Rents, too, are notably lower than the national figure. The cost of a thirty-year mortgage on a median-priced home represents about a quarter of median income. Most large employers serving Chillicothe residents are in the Peoria region, including OSF HealthCare, Caterpillar, and Ajinomoto Foods, alongside local firms like MH Equipment. The town itself is stable and slow-growing, with civic anchors including Shore Acres Park on the river, restored prairie at Coal Hollow Park, and library and transit connections to Peoria.
Recent housing development has been modest. A property-tax incentive program for new builds in the Sycamore Trail subdivision west of the high school is the most visible new activity. The district is undertaking a major renovation of Shore Acres Park, including an inclusive playground and ADA upgrades scheduled for completion in 2025.
The school enrolls about a quarter of its grades from each cohort, making for roughly even class sizes across the three years. Parents considering this school may want to look into the school's specific approach to mathematics instruction and intervention, given the variance in proficiency across grades and the lower results at the sixth and eighth-grade levels. ELA instruction appears stronger. For families in the area, Chillicothe Jr High offers a small-town middle school experience in an affordable, stable community with river recreation and close ties to the Peoria metro area.
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