The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in English language arts. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Staunton Jr High School
Staunton Jr High School is a six-through-eight middle school in Staunton, a small town in southwestern Illinois. The school draws from a stable, demographically homogeneous student body—enrollment is about two hundred thirty students, with the great majority white. Staunton itself is a former coal-mining center that has settled into a mixed small-town economy of farming, light manufacturing, healthcare, and retail, with no rapid growth. The housing market is tight and inventory is low, with median values modest compared to state and national benchmarks.
The school's state testing results show a profile split between English language arts strength and mathematics challenge. In English language arts, performance is broad and confident. Grade six proficiency reaches the high seventies, grade seven in the low seventies, and grade eight around the high sixties—all markedly above the state typical. This is the school's core strength. Mathematics tells a different story. Grade six proficiency is in the mid-thirties, a substantial weakness. Grade seven rises only slightly to the high thirties. Grade eight reaches near half, showing the upward trajectory is real, but the low-grade baseline remains a soft spot. Science results for grade eight are in line with English language arts, around seventy percent. All tested grades show participation at one hundred percent, a sign of full enrollment in state assessments.
Within the comparison of districts in Macoupin County, Staunton Jr High sits in the top quartile on a composite proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades. This favorable positioning reflects the English language arts strength enough to offset the math weakness. Neither graduation rate data nor chronic absenteeism data are available at this school level, as the school does not serve high school grades and state reporting focuses on district or high school outcomes.
The school's peer group and setting are small and rural. The town has a compact historic downtown along Main Street, walkable at a neighborhood scale, and the school sits on the north side within the residential grid rather than on a campus remove. Civic life centers on parks, a community pool, trail access, and seasonal events. Families considering this school should understand that the mathematics progression shows a gap, particularly in early middle grades, that will warrant attention and perhaps additional support as students move forward. The English language arts foundation is solid and may reflect either strong instruction or effective students, or both. A parent might want to discuss with the school what math supports exist for sixth and seventh graders, and what the school's approach is to closing that gap by the high school transition.
The district recently passed a bond referendum to fund facility upgrades across the system, including at the high school campus, which signals ongoing capital investment in the physical plant. That investment carries a property-tax implication for homeowners. For families moving to Staunton or considering this school, the small, stable community setting and the teacher-to-student relationships that come with it are real assets; the mathematics performance in the lower grades is an honest metric to weigh in the decision.
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