Unity Middle School, Mendon IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Unity Middle School

Unity Middle School serves grades five through eight in Mendon, a small rural village in west-central Illinois about twelve miles from the Mississippi River. The school sits within a compact village footprint surrounded by farmland, with Quincy about eleven miles away serving as the nearest urban hub for retail and services. The enrollment is small, with a student body that is predominantly white, and the school is part of Community Unit School District 4 (CUSD 4).

In English language arts, the school shows strength in the upper middle grades. Seventh and eighth graders demonstrate solid proficiency, with eighth grade performing particularly well. Fifth graders show moderate proficiency in ELA, while sixth graders sit in the middle range. In mathematics, performance is more uneven. Fifth graders post proficiency above the midpoint, but proficiency drops markedly in sixth grade, seventh grade, and especially eighth grade, where only about one in five students score at proficient level or above. Science proficiency is similarly modest in both tested grades: fifth graders score below the midpoint, and eighth graders sit around the lower-middle range.

When averaged across all tested subjects and grades, Unity Middle School's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the county's districts. This aggregate strength masks the underlying weakness in mathematics and science, both of which show persistent gaps. A parent looking into whether the school can support a student needing stronger math foundation may want to explore with staff what instructional moves or supports are in place in the upper grades to address the downward trend.

The school's academic pathway is a standard middle school sequence without visible enrichment tracks, magnet designations, or specialized career programs reported in the available data. State testing data were not available for third and fourth graders; because Unity Middle School serves only grades five through eight, no assessment data exist for those younger grades. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism figures do not apply, as the school serves only middle grades. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner enrollment were not reported.

The village of Mendon offers a small-town, residential setting. Population has remained flat to slightly declining over recent years. The median home value is below the state benchmark, and the housing market shows modest strength. Within the village, key civic anchors include Chittenden Park and the Four Star Public Library, which runs programming integrated with school events. Mendon itself has limited in-village employment; most residents commute to Quincy for work. There is no fixed-route public transit within the village, so car access is essential for daily life.

The district itself has not undergone recent major curriculum, facility, or tax-base changes of parent-relevant scale. The school remains stable in its role as a primary educational institution for the local community.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 41 pts above state median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 37%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 1 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 29 pts above state median

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 81%

▲ 28 pts above state median

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 37%

even with state median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 6 pts above state median

This schoolCUSD 4, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income11%Higher-income21%11 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income5%Higher-income39%34 pp gap