The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kankakee Junior High School
Kankakee Junior High School serves seventh and eighth grades in Kankakee, a mid-sized Illinois city about fifty miles south of Chicago. The school enrolls a student body that is roughly equally divided between Black and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of white students and students of other backgrounds. The specific free-or-reduced-price-lunch rate was not available in the data.
State testing data shows where the school currently stands. In math, seventh graders achieved proficiency at a low rate, with eighth graders performing at a similarly low level. In English language arts, results are somewhat stronger: eighth-grade proficiency is notably higher than seventh-grade performance, suggesting some academic progress through the grade band, though overall ELA proficiency remains low. Science proficiency, tested only in eighth grade, is also low. These numbers reflect a school where most students have not yet met state proficiency benchmarks in core subjects. When compared to other districts in Kankakee County using the county comparison set, this school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among county districts.
The school had no missing data on participation rates; strong shares of students took the assessments, indicating that results reflect most of the enrolled population rather than a limited testing sample. This matters for interpreting what the numbers say about the school's student body as a whole.
The broader context includes recent district activity that shapes what a parent should watch. Kankakee School District recently commissioned a full curriculum and instructional practices audit and is developing a new five-year strategic plan starting in 2026, signaling changes ahead in what and how students are taught. Property tax levies have risen sharply, a cost factor for families considering the district. At the high school level, the district ended the long-standing uniform requirement, replacing it with a modified dress code, and changed the graduation walk policy to require full credit completion. These moves show a district in transition.
Housing in the Kankakee area is affordable relative to the national benchmark, with median home values substantially below state and national mediums. Rental costs are also low, making this a financially accessible place to live. The city itself is anchored by a historic downtown district with civic institutions, parks, and river-corridor access, along with healthcare, manufacturing, and service-sector employment.
A parent evaluating Kankakee Junior High would be right to focus on the current academic performance numbers and to ask the school and district directly about the instructional changes underway through the curriculum audit and strategic plan. The school sits in a district where property costs are manageable but where academic results are currently weak and under review.
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