The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Scales Mound Jr High School
Scales Mound Jr High School serves grades six through eight in a tiny rural village at the northwestern tip of Illinois. The school is part of Scales Mound CUSD 211, a consolidated district that houses all students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in a single building, making the school the educational and social anchor of the community.
The school's enrollment is small, typical for its setting. The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of students identifying as Hispanic or multiracial. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner status were not available. The school's recent state testing results paint a mixed picture. In English language arts, grade six students showed strong proficiency, while both grades seven and eight showed lower results. Grade eight students performed better in ELA than their grade seven counterparts. In mathematics, proficiency declined as students progressed through the grades, with sixth-grade students performing better than seventh and eighth graders. Grade eight science proficiency reached roughly the midpoint, with full student participation across all tested subjects. State testing data for grades three through five were not provided, likely because those grades are housed in the same building but fall outside the junior high span.
When compared against other districts in Jo Daviess County, Scales Mound Jr High's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile among the county's districts. No graduation rate is applicable to this junior high school. Chronic absenteeism data were not available.
The setting shapes daily experience. Scales Mound is a historic village of modest population, entirely encompassed by a National Register historic district. The built environment is compact and pre-World War II in character. Most working residents commute to jobs in nearby Warren, Galena, Dubuque, or Freeport. The village's population has remained remarkably stable over recent years. Housing values in the area are below both the state and national benchmarks, making it an affordable setting. The school building itself functions as the community's largest employer and primary civic gathering place.
A parent considering this school may want to look into the reasons for the grade-to-grade proficiency decline in mathematics and lower overall performance relative to county peers. The school's small size and unified pre-K-12 structure offer a tight-knit environment but also mean that upper-grade students have limited separation from younger cohorts. For families seeking a deep rural setting where the school is woven into community life, and who are committed to supplementing classroom instruction at home, Scales Mound Jr High may fit their needs. For those prioritizing strong academic performance or a range of extracurricular programming, further conversation with school leadership about support services and classroom approaches would be prudent.
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