The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Science. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Macomb Middle School
Macomb Middle School serves grades 6 through 8 in a rural Illinois college town centered on Western Illinois University. The school is housed in a new building that opened in August 2023, a watershed change for the district: before then, middle grades shared space with the high school, so this is the district's first dedicated middle school building in decades. The facility includes separate grade-level wings, updated instructional technology, and a gym, and the move freed capacity elsewhere in the district.
The school's enrollment runs around 460 students. The population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and Asian students, and very small populations of Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native students. The data does not report the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it break out students with IEPs or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations.
Macomb Middle School released state testing results for the 2024-25 school year in math, English language arts, and science. The math picture is weak across the board. In grades 6, 7, and 8, proficiency rates in math hovered around a quarter of students at grade level. English language arts shows a sharper grade-level divide. In grades 6 and 7, proficiency sat around 30 percent, but in grade 8 it climbed to just under half of students. Science results, available only for grade 8, showed proficiency at a similar rate. Overall across tested subjects and grades, the school's proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the districts in McDonough County, though base proficiency remains modest throughout.
The broader context is a town in decline. Macomb's population has fallen steadily since 2020, a trajectory tied largely to budget and enrollment pressures at Western Illinois University, the town's dominant employer and anchor institution. The housing stock is aging, with a median construction year in the mid-1950s and limited recent large-scale development. Housing is affordable relative to the national benchmark, though recent economic data shows modest unemployment and stable median household income. The town itself has a clear character: a compact historic courthouse square downtown with coffee shops and restaurants, a walkable business district, and a separate university campus to the west, linked by Go West Transit, the state's only fare-free bus system. Beyond the downtown and campus corridors, the setting is low-density residential and rural.
For a family considering this school, the new building and dedicated middle-school setting represent a real infrastructure improvement and a shift away from the crowded conditions of recent years. The modest state test results suggest the school will require engaged home support in math, particularly in the middle grades, to help students move toward grade-level proficiency. The surrounding community offers a stable, affordable small-town environment anchored by a university and tied to education, healthcare, and manufacturing as economic anchors, though the town's population decline means fewer peers and fewer expanding opportunities for businesses or families moving in.
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