The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sandoval Jr High School
Sandoval Jr High School serves a small cohort of middle-grade students in a rural Marion County village on the Illinois side of the tri-state crossroads where Highway 50 and 51 meet. The school sits on the western edge of the village away from the compact main street, in a setting of open space and low-density residential life.
The school enrolls roughly a hundred students across sixth through eighth grade, a size typical for rural middle schools serving an area with modest and declining population. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students and a single student identifying as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Income-level data was not available in the records, so a reader cannot assess the share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price meals or the economic pressure on households directly.
Testing results paint a picture of substantial academic challenge. In mathematics, proficiency rates are very low. In sixth grade roughly one student in twenty met proficiency; seventh grade saw a small uptick but still sat in single digits; eighth grade registered zero students proficient on state assessments. English language arts showed similarly weak results: eighth grade held at around one student in sixteen proficient, seventh grade reached a higher share but still low by any measure, and sixth grade hovered near the bottom. Science proficiency in eighth grade was also in single digits. These are not rates that suggest students are moving forward with solid grade-level mastery. The state changed its proficiency cut scores starting this year, which can make comparison to prior years uncertain, but even accounting for that caveat, the overall pattern across all three grades and multiple subjects is one of consistently low attainment.
Against the broader comparison of Marion County school districts, Sandoval's overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile, meaning its performance ranks among the lowest in the county. A parent may want to look into further with the school what interventions are in place to address this pattern and what the district's strategy is for improvement.
The broader context matters here. The district itself is in active discussion about its future. In June 2025, the Sandoval, Odin, and Patoka school boards all voted to commission a feasibility study examining whether some form of consolidation or deeper service-sharing between the three districts might be viable. The study would examine curriculum, especially at the high school level, and building use. In August 2025, when the state declined to fund the study, the three boards had to decide whether to proceed out of their own budgets. This signals that district leaders are wrestling with sustainability questions, and that decisions about curriculum, staffing, course offerings, and student pathways may be in flux. For a parent considering this school, understanding where the consolidation conversation stands with the board is relevant context for thinking about continuity and what offerings or programs might change.
No information was available on special education services, English learner support, discipline climate, specific course offerings, extracurricular activities, or staffing details. State testing data for fifth grade science was also unavailable, likely because that grade band sits at the boundary between the elementary and junior high configuration. A reader seeking a fuller picture of what daily learning looks like, what academic support is available to struggling students, or what a student's experience outside the classroom entails would benefit from a direct conversation with the school.
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