The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on John Deere Middle School
John Deere Middle School serves grades six through eight in Moline, a mid-sized Mississippi River city in the Illinois Quad Cities. The school sits within the Moline-Coal Valley CUSD 40 district, which has been consolidating its elementary schools in a modernization push but operates separate middle and high school campuses.
The enrollment of roughly three-quarters of a thousand students breaks evenly across the three grades, with a student body that is substantially Hispanic, white, and Black, with smaller numbers of Asian, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Demographic data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner status were not available.
State test results from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness show consistent weaknesses in math across all three grades served. In sixth grade, about one in five students met or exceeded proficiency; that rate dipped further in seventh and eighth grades, with fewer than one in five eighth graders proficient in math. Reading performance is better but still modest. Sixth graders reached about one-third proficiency in English Language Arts, while seventh graders fell below one-quarter. Eighth-grade readers performed somewhat better, at about one-third proficiency. In science, eighth graders achieved just under one-third proficiency. The school's participation rates were strong, with roughly 95 to 98 percent of students taking state exams across grades and subjects.
Relative to the dozen other districts in Rock Island County, John Deere Middle School's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint, placing it in the lower half of county performance. A parent may want to look into further what the school and district are doing to address the notably low math proficiency, particularly in grades seven and eight, and what specific interventions or supports exist for students struggling to reach grade-level standards.
Moline itself is a city with manufacturing heritage centered on John Deere, whose world headquarters anchors the local economy. The riverfront has been reworked from old factory sites into mixed commercial and recreational use, and downtown development is accelerating. Housing values have risen modestly, and rental costs are moderate. The city has been pushing new downtown housing growth, with several development deals signed in late 2024 and construction planned for the coming years. A passenger rail project to restore Quad Cities service is advancing. The median home in the area was constructed decades ago, and most of the housing stock is mature, though new units are being built as the city expands.
The district itself is undergoing significant change at the elementary level. Lincoln-Irving and Willard Elementary schools are being consolidated into a new Robert Ontiveros Elementary School through a major expansion and renovation project with groundbreaking in March 2026 and planned opening in August 2027. Lincoln-Irving students will temporarily attend classes at Western Illinois University's Quad Cities campus during construction. This consolidation reflects the district's strategy of creating larger elementary schools to pool resources more efficiently. While this change affects elementary families directly, it signals the district's commitment to modernizing its facilities and reshaping its footprint.
No data on graduation rates, chronic absenteeism, special program offerings, staffing, or specific course access were available for the school. Parents interested in understanding John Deere Middle's course load, extracurricular programming, student support services, or staff composition would benefit from contacting the school or district directly.
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