South Central Reporter

In the 2023-24 school year, 40.5% of the students in Panhandle Community Unit School District 2 passed the ELA portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 158 students in Panhandle Community Unit School District 2 who took the ELA portion of the test, approximately 64 (40.5%) passed.

The percentage of Panhandle Community Unit School District 2 students who met or exceeded expectations on the IAR increased by 0.4% compared to the previous school year.

Panhandle Community Unit School District 2 roughly covers four schools within Montgomery County and has a main office in Raymond.

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	District	Students who met standards (%)	Students who exceed standards (%)
Raymond Grade School	Panhandle Community Unit School District 2	41.5%	2.4%
Lincolnwood Junior High School	Panhandle Community Unit School District 2	36.8%	0%