The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Nokomis Jr/sr High Sch
Nokomis Jr/Sr High School serves grades six through twelve in a small rural city in east-central Illinois. The school draws from a district with a compact student population; the school itself enrolls roughly three hundred students across seven grades. Demographically, the enrollment is predominantly white, with a small Latino presence and representation of students identifying as multiracial. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, and neither was information on students with disabilities or English learners, so a reader interested in that detail would want to ask the district directly.
State assessment results are available only for the grades this building serves, and the performance picture is mixed. In English language arts, students show stronger performance in the upper middle grades: eighth graders reached proficiency at a solid rate, seventh graders also posted a strong result, and sixth graders showed good attainment. In math, the trajectory is less consistent. Sixth-grade math proficiency was moderate, seventh-grade performance dropped notably lower, and eighth grade rebounded to a solid level. Science results, measured only in eighth grade, showed proficiency at a respectable rate. The school achieved full testing participation in English, math, and science across the grades tested, indicating no enrollment or absenteeism barrier to assessment. Testing data for grades nine through twelve and for grade five was not reported, either because those grades are not tested in Illinois' assessment system or because the grades this school serves begin at sixth.
In the county-level peer comparison, the school's overall proficiency index placed it in the top quartile among the four districts in Montgomery County, suggesting its academic standing sits above the regional median. No graduation rate was available, making it difficult to assess four-year outcomes for students who enter as ninth graders; a parent interested in that metric should request it from the school or district. Chronic absenteeism data was also not provided.
The school sits in Nokomis, a small rural town where civic and school life are woven into the community. The town's economy centers on agriculture and local manufacturing, and the high school's campus is set a few blocks from the compact downtown, keeping it part of the town fabric rather than isolated. Housing in the area is affordable relative to the state and national benchmarks, with older stock reflecting the town's century-plus history. The local economy is essentially flat; the town and surrounding county are not experiencing rapid growth. The district is undertaking facility improvements, having completed a multi-phase renovation program with recent work modernizing the elementary building and upgrading science classrooms and gymnasiums at the junior/senior high. A tornado in March 2025 damaged gym roofs, triggering additional repair work and pushing the start of the 2025-26 school year back one week.
The district operates an Education Pathways program focused on preparing students for careers in teaching, adding a defined career track at the high school level. Beyond that program offering, the data provided does not detail AP courses, dual-credit options, extracurricular activities, special programs, or staff-to-student ratios.
For families considering this school, the fit depends on what matters most. If you value a school grounded in a real small town rather than a sprawling suburb, with solid English language arts results and reasonable accessibility, Nokomis offers that. If you are focused on tracking a four-year graduation rate or want detailed information on advanced course breadth, career pathways beyond the teaching track, or support service details, a parent may want to look into these further with the school. The modest size and rural setting mean the peer group and extracurricular options differ sharply from larger institutions; that is a characteristic to evaluate based on your own priorities.
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