SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The state’s annual school report card has been released and it shows there were more high school graduates across Illinois this past year than any school year in the past decade.
However, graduation rates are not necessarily a point of emphasis for school officials in Peoria.
State education officials say an increase in Black and Hispanic high school graduates across Illinois this past school year helped push the overall graduation rate to more than 87-percent.
The report card also shows student growth in English and math and an increase in kids taking career and technical education or dual credit courses.
In Peoria, District 150 officials are stressing “growth” and improvement in the designated quality of several schools in the area.
PPS officials say the number of schools characterized by the state as “exemplary” and “commendable” in Peoria increased from nine in the 2018-2019 school year, to 14 in the 2021-2022 school year.
Additionally, the number of PPS 150 schools listed as designated for “targeted” or “comprehensive” reforms and improvement reportedly fell from 14 to 11 in that same period.
PPS officials tout that Charter Oak Primary School and Reservoir Gifted Middle School were recognized as exemplary schools, placing them in the top 10% of schools state-wide.
They add Franklin Primary School, Harold B. Dawson Jr. Middle School, and Manual High School, 3 schools located in some of the most distressed zip codes in the State, rose from the lowest designation to commendable.
“I am very proud of the work of my staff, parents, and community. We are bringing our students closer to their full potential by re-imagining literacy, mathematics, SEL, high school graduation,
attendance, freshman on track, career pathways, advanced learning, and much more. We have come a long way,” says Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat.
At the same time, State Schools Superintendent Ayala says while officials are pleased to see student growth statewide in English and math, they are still concerned about an increase in chronic absenteeism.
