The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Science. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Meredosia-chambersburg Jr High
Meredosia-Chambersburg Jr High is a small rural junior high serving grades five through eight in a village setting in northwestern Morgan County. The school has a total enrollment of about 53 students spread across the upper grades, with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders each forming substantial cohorts. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic representation.
The school's state assessment results reveal significant academic challenges. In English Language Arts, proficiency varies considerably by grade: sixth graders show modest performance while eighth graders reach around 40 percent proficiency, but seventh graders scored at zero proficiency. In mathematics, the picture is more uniformly weak. Sixth graders achieved proficiency in roughly one-fifth of cases. By seventh grade, no students reached proficiency, and eighth grade showed minimal achievement at around 7 percent. Eighth-grade science proficiency reached 40 percent. The school participated at high rates in state testing, with most grades showing full or near-full participation.
The comparison metric across Morgan County's districts places this school in the bottom quartile on overall proficiency. A parent reviewing these numbers may want to ask the school directly about grade-seven performance in particular, which shows zeros in both tested subjects, and about the factors driving the sharp drop in middle-grade math proficiency.
The school sits on Main Street in Meredosia proper, a small river village of declining population that lost its largest employer, the Ameren power plant, at the end of a recent year. Housing in the zip code is well below state and national benchmarks, with home values substantially lower than statewide medians. Local employment is now anchored by Cargill's agricultural operations, two bank branches, and the school district itself. The community retains civic life along Main Street, including a public library and the elementary school nearby, though the overall economic trajectory has been downward.
State testing data for grades three through five are not available, likely because this school serves only the middle grades and lower-elementary results come from the elementary school in the same district. No graduation rate, attendance data, or staffing information appears in available records, as those metrics do not apply to a junior high. Free and reduced price lunch counts and English learner enrollment counts were also not reported. The district brief showed no confirmed recent referendums, curriculum overhauls, or major facility changes clearing the threshold of lasting parent impact, though facility discussions around roof, HVAC, and windows have been referenced in recent board minutes.
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