The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Shawnee Jr High School
Shawnee Jr High School is a small, six-through-eight public junior high serving a rural agricultural area in southern Illinois. The school enrolls about 76 students across its three grades, with a student body that is predominantly white and drawn from Wolf Lake, an unincorporated community in the Mississippi River floodplain strung along Illinois Route 3. The nearest incorporated city is about ten miles away.
The school's academic results present a clear picture of struggle. Illinois Assessment of Readiness data from the most recent school year shows proficiency rates in math ranging from near zero in grade eight to single digits in grade six, with grade seven at roughly one in five students proficient. In English language arts, the pattern is somewhat better but still below expectations: grade six sits at roughly one in four students proficient, grade eight at roughly one in three, and grade seven stands out at roughly half. Science proficiency, tested in grade eight, is one in six students. All students took the assessments, so participation was not an issue; these numbers reflect performance gaps rather than testing logistics. The state also changed proficiency cut scores this year, so year-to-year comparison is not reliable, but parents looking at where students stand should anticipate that many will need academic support across core subjects.
When Shawnee Jr High is positioned against the other districts in Union County, its overall proficiency sits below the midpoint among its county peers, in the bottom quartile. This positioning underscores that the school faces learning challenges that are pronounced relative to neighboring districts in the same region.
The school is small enough that it sits on a single campus with the elementary school. The surrounding Wolf Lake community itself is not growing; it is an aging, sparse settlement with an economy anchored in agriculture and a couple of anchor employers, surrounded by farmland and the Shawnee National Forest. State testing data for elementary grades was not available, so the full K-8 picture across the district cannot be assessed here. The school offers no specialized academic programs, magnet status, or published career or dual-credit pathways beyond what a standard junior high typically provides.
No data on special education services, English learner support, chronic absenteeism, or discipline were available in the provided records. Free-and-reduced-price lunch participation also was not reported, leaving the economic profile of the student body uncharacterized. A parent may want to contact the school directly to understand the range of support services and what targeted intervention or remediation looks like for students working below grade level.
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