New Berlin Jr High School, New Berlin IL

Original Research by School Decision on New Berlin Jr High School

New Berlin Jr High School serves grades six through eight in rural Sangamon County, Illinois, a small village setting about ten miles west of Springfield. The school enrolls around that student count typical for a three-grade junior high in a rural district, with the enrollment distributed across the three grades.

The student body is predominantly white, with very small numbers of students from other backgrounds. Complete enrollment figures for students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch are not available in the data, nor are specific counts for students with individualized education plans or English learners. These gaps are common for smaller rural schools where such counts may be suppressed to protect student privacy.

On state assessments administered in spring 2025, the school shows an uneven academic profile. In English language arts, performance strengthens as students move through the grades: sixth graders proficiency sits in the mid-range, seventh graders perform considerably better, and eighth graders achieve proficiency rates above that mark. Mathematics tells a different story. Sixth and eighth grade math proficiency are in the low-to-mid range, while seventh grade math performance falls notably below both. Across all tested grades, every student participated in state testing. In eighth-grade science, students reach the higher proficiency rate.

Compared to the other districts in Sangamon County, New Berlin Jr High's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint of county schools. The school draws from a rural village with modest and slowing population growth, where most families own their homes and car-dependent commuting is the norm. Housing values in the area have appreciated modestly despite relatively flat population trends. The village itself offers limited employment locally; most residents commute to Springfield for work.

The school sits a few blocks from the small civic core along Illinois Street, where the village library, hall, and fairgrounds cluster. Civic life and institutions are within walking distance, though the broader community is car-oriented. No significant new housing or development initiatives were reported for the area.

Illinois state testing standards were revised in 2025, making trend comparisons to prior years unavailable. A parent evaluating this school should consider that math performance, especially in seventh grade, is a soft spot that warrants closer conversation with the school about specific supports, instruction approaches, and whether additional resources or intervention are in place. The strength in English language arts and eighth-grade science suggests capacity in those areas. The school's mid-to-upper position among county peers is a useful anchor, though rural schools often operate with different resource and staffing constraints than larger districts.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 11 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

This schoolNew Berlin CUSD 16, 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.