South Central Reporter

IAR results are in and 72.1% of Macoupin County students failed the mathematics portion of the test in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The students' overall failure rate in the subject in Macoupin County rose by 5.2% compared to the previous school year.

In comparison, schools in Alexander County fared the worst among all Illinois counties, with 97.1% of students failing to meet test requirements.

At the other end of the spectrum, Monroe County had the highest success rate across the state, with 50% of its students passing the mathematics portion of the IAR.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing toward state standards in English language arts and mathematics.

Recent IAR data shows that while Illinois students improved slightly in the test, math performance remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 28.4% of students met math benchmarks, compared to 31.8% in 2019. However, data also indicates a significant achievement gap based on race and ethnicity. 

The disparities were even more pronounced in math. White students achieved a proficiency rate of 38.7%, while Black students achieved 9.1% and Hispanic students 15.6%. Asian students achieved the highest proficiency rates in both subjects, hitting 68.2% in ELA and 61.4% in math.

School	Students who did not meet standards (%)	Total students tested
Bunker Hill High School	90.9%	33
Northwestern Junior High School	90%	50
Wolf Ridge Education Center	87.7%	196
North Mac Middle School	86.3%	234
Southwestern Middle School	82.8%	169
Northwestern Elementary School	80.9%	89
Medora Intermediate School	78.4%	162
Mt. Olive Elementary School	74.2%	201
North Mac Intermediate School	70.5%	200
Staunton Junior High School	69.8%	235
Ben-Gil Elementary School	68.9%	206
Gillespie Middle School	68.7%	253
Carlinville Middle School	66.8%	274
Staunton Elementary School	66.6%	248
Shipman Elementary School	58.5%	154
Carlinville Intermediate School	54.3%	262