The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 22% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Edison Junior High School
Edison Junior High School is a regular public middle school serving seventh and eighth grade students in Pekin, a mid-sized Illinois River city in Tazewell County. The school enrolls a small population of students, with roughly even numbers across the two grades it serves.
The school's student body is predominantly white, with smaller populations of students identifying as two or more races, Hispanic, Asian, and Black. Free or reduced price lunch eligibility data was not available. Special education enrollment figures and English learner counts were not provided in the available data.
State testing data for seventh and eighth grade show uneven performance across subjects. In mathematics, Edison's seventh graders showed a low proficiency rate, with about one in four students meeting state standards. Eighth grade math proficiency dropped further, to roughly one in six students. English language arts results are stronger: seventh graders achieved proficiency at close to half the class, and eighth graders performed better still, with proficiency slightly above half. In eighth grade science, proficiency stood at about two in five students. The school achieved very high test participation rates across the board. These mathematics results, particularly in eighth grade, suggest a student support area worth exploring with the school directly; parents may want to ask whether the school has interventions in place and what progression support looks like as students move into high school coursework.
Compared to other districts across Tazewell County, Edison's overall proficiency index falls below the county midpoint, placing it in the lower half of county schools on aggregate testing performance.
Pekin itself is experiencing active growth and reinvestment. The city has finalized a major purchase of developable land and is actively marketing single-family home construction through tax increment financing districts. A new duplex development was recently approved, and major real estate activity reflects a tight buyer's market with limited inventory. Housing values have appreciated at a moderate clip year over year, and rental costs remain relatively affordable. Median listing prices have risen notably, and the housing market shows sustained demand. The city's civic infrastructure includes the Pekin Park District, which operates one of Illinois's larger park systems centered on Mineral Springs Park, and a public library recognized for community programming. Downtown Pekin sits along Court Street, where revitalization efforts target walkability and riverfront activation, with bus transit available through CityLink. Major employers span healthcare, insurance, government, manufacturing, and industrial uses, including Carle Health Pekin Hospital, Pekin Insurance, school and county government, and significant ethanol and metal fabrication operations.
The broader Pekin Public School District has implemented standards-based grading and reporting beginning in the current school year at the intermediate school level, a change that affects how student progress is communicated on report cards and in conferences. The district is also enrolled in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, meaning every enrolled student receives one free breakfast and one free lunch each day with no application required, a recurring benefit for household budgets across all grade levels. At the property tax level, the school district represents a major line item on local taxpayers' annual bills, meaning levy decisions directly affect homeowner expenses in the attendance area.
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