The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pontiac Jr High School
Pontiac Jr High School serves sixth through eighth grade students in Fairview Heights, Illinois, a retail-dominated St. Louis Metro-East suburb. The school is part of Pontiac-William Holliday School District 105, a small district managing two school buildings, both of which are now central to a major district question facing families in the area.
The school's recent state assessment data shows performance that is uneven across grades and subjects. In sixth-grade language arts, about four in ten students met proficiency standards. That rate held steady in seventh grade. Eighth-grade language arts performance rose sharply, with about two-thirds of students proficient. Mathematics tells a different story: sixth and seventh graders show very low proficiency (less than one in ten), while eighth graders reach about one in five. Science proficiency for eighth graders sits around four in ten. The school tested at full or near-full participation in all tested grades.
The enrollment is small, with roughly two hundred students split across the three grades, reflecting the modest scale of the district. The school's student body is racially and ethnically diverse: roughly equal shares of white and Black students, with smaller populations of Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students. Free-and-reduced-price lunch data was not available, making it unclear what share of families face economic hardship.
Comparing Pontiac Jr High to other districts across St. Clair County, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The county comparison set included nearly two dozen school-level performance measures; Pontiac Jr High ranks below the county median on measured academic performance.
The district is navigating a significant facilities moment. Both William Holliday Elementary and Pontiac Junior High were built decades ago and, according to the district's public messaging, now face crowded classrooms, limited secure entry points, traffic congestion on campus, and undersized cafeterias. The district has placed a bond referendum on the 2026 ballot as part of an initiative called "Achieving New Heights." A school bond directly affects property taxes for years and shapes the physical learning environment, making it an important factor for families considering a move into the area. A parent may want to look into the referendum status and timing with the district directly.
Fairview Heights itself is an auto-oriented retail suburb, centered on shopping corridors and anchored by St. Clair Square mall. Housing is more affordable than state and national medians, with a median home value below that of Illinois overall. Rental rates are similarly modest, though recent home values have declined from their 2024 peak. The city offers a MetroLink station with park-and-ride access, connecting to St. Louis transit; it is otherwise a car-dependent environment with separate campus siting for schools rather than downtown-clustered facilities.
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