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Henry W Cowherd Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

1263^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,368 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 8% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Henry W Cowherd Middle School is a public middle school located in Aurora, Illinois, serving around 850 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Aurora East Unified School District 131, which is ranked 777 out of 811 school districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Henry W Cowherd Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of Illinois middle schools based on the statewide SchoolDigger rankings. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics are significantly lower than the state and district averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 22% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 53.1% statewide. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate was just 7.7%, compared to 38.5% statewide. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.4% to 30.2% over the past few years, which are well above the state and district averages.

When comparing Henry W Cowherd Middle School to other nearby middle schools in the same district, such as K.D. Waldo Middle School and C.F. Simmons Middle School, as well as schools in the neighboring Aurora West Unified School District 129, such as Washington Middle School and Jefferson Middle School, the academic performance and other key metrics at Henry W Cowherd are consistently lower. Additionally, the nearby Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy, which is also part of the Aurora East Unified School District 131, significantly outperforms Henry W Cowherd Middle School across all academic measures.

807

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,816

Per pupil spending ?

67%

Free/discounted lunch ?

441 N Farnsworth Ave
Aurora, IL 60505-3010

(630) 299-5900

District: Aurora East Unified School District 131

Students who attend Henry W Cowherd Middle School usually attend:

High:

East High School

Feeder schools for Henry W Cowherd Middle School:

Elementary:	C I Johnson Elementary School
	Oak Park Elementary School
	Olney C Allen Elementary School
	W S Beaupre Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

83.1%

African American:

12.9%

White:

2.0%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Henry W Cowherd Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 11th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (16% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 31 pts below the Illinois average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg23%

Illinois avg46%

1,263^rd of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Aurora East Unified School District 131

777^th of 811Aurora East Unified School District 131 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	1263 of 1368	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	1228 of 1363	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	1205 of 1367	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	1149 of 1369	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	1094 of 1241	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	1130 of 1356	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	1157 of 1293	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.5	1162 of 1293	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.1	1202 of 1294	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.4	1158 of 1302	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	13.6	1197 of 1322	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.6	1225 of 1367	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	14.1	1223 of 1365	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	11.8	1236 of 1344	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	17.1	1152 of 1327	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.4	1138 of 1318	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	16.9	1104 of 1293	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.1	1122 of 1287	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	12.0	1124 of 1272	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	10.7	1054 of 1209	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	8.3	1089 of 1204	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	7.2	1092 of 1185	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	25.6	470 of 574	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	497 of 548	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	417 of 569	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	400 of 573	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.4	231 of 385	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.8	475 of 565	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	441 of 511	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	631 of 694	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	505 of 639	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	619 of 674	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.6	446 of 483	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	426 of 486	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	429 of 480	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	402 of 454	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.8	194 of 277	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.1	320 of 339	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	234 of 285	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	13.5	1125 of 1248	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	1095 of 1251	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	1096 of 1275	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	1088 of 1286	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	933 of 1017	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.7	1060 of 1276	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.2	1120 of 1226	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	635 of 669	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	583 of 643	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	607 of 661	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	596 of 662	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	479 of 517	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.6	562 of 639	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.1	566 of 590	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	31 of 58	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.6	59 of 70	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	1100 of 1229	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	1088 of 1219	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	1064 of 1234	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	1013 of 1221	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.4	899 of 1019	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.5	990 of 1217	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	1012 of 1161	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	1180 of 1271	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	1165 of 1264	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.7	1155 of 1292	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.8	1048 of 1286	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	935 of 1048	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.9	1063 of 1296	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	1064 of 1223	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	713 of 812	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	709 of 802	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	757 of 805	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	654 of 781	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	501 of 548	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	700 of 792	11.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	496 of 602	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2019	24.0	721 of 905	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Homeless (2025)47th percentile+39 vs school

White (2019)20th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2025)18th percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2025)12th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)10th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)10th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)9th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)8th percentile~ school

Male (2025)7th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts22%-31 vs state

Science20%-26 vs state

Mathematics8%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Henry W Cowherd Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)	IAR English Language Arts (2025)				IAR Mathematics (2025)				% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Henry W Cowherd Middle School	Public	6-8	441 N Farnsworth Ave	Aurora	60505	Kane County	Aurora East Unified School District 131	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 299-5900	807	62	13.0	67.0%	16 (2.0%)	104 (12.9%)	671 (83.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (1.4%)	12.7	1263^rd of 1368 public middle schools	7.7%		15.1	1228^th of 1363 public middle schools	9.9%	35	19.7	19.4	22.8	23.6	22.0	5.9	8.0	9.0	7.7	99.2	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.3	99.3	98.7	98.0	$19,816	$2,209	$17,607
C F Simmons Middle School	Public	6-8	1130 Sheffer Rd	Aurora	60505	Kane County	Aurora East Unified School District 131	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 299-4150	792	60	13.1	64.4%	11 (1.4%)	50 (6.3%)	717 (90.5%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.9%)	17.3	1165^th of 1368 public middle schools	14.8%		18.8	1121^st of 1363 public middle schools	17.8%	44	25.0	21.2	30.9	27.5	26.4	6.6	12.7	13.9	11.1	98.7	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.1	98.0	98.8	98.5	$20,701	$1,980	$18,721
Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	157 N Root St	Aurora	60505	Kane County	Aurora East Unified School District 131	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 299-7175	284	19	14.7	54.6%	20 (7.0%)	13 (4.6%)	240 (84.5%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	88	149^th of 1368 public middle schools	89.1%		78	250^th of 1363 public middle schools	81.7%	101	76.6	85.4	79.8	92.6	86.1	60.4	40.9	45.3	49.1	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.3	99.6	97.9	$20,453	$2,441	$18,011
K D Waldo Middle School	Public	6-8	56 Jackson St	Aurora	60505	Kane County	Aurora East Unified School District 131	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 299-8400	729	55	13.3	70.0%	19 (2.6%)	47 (6.4%)	652 (89.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.2%)	10.5	1303^rd of 1368 public middle schools	4.8%		11.8	1298^th of 1363 public middle schools	4.8%	5	17.7	9.9	13.6	19.4	14.4	4.2	11.6	6.9	7.6	97.2	97.3	97.3	97.3	96.8	95.8	97.1	95.2	$21,323	$2,014	$19,309
Francis Granger Middle School	Public	6-8	2721 Stonebridge Blvd	Aurora	60502	DuPage County	Indian Prairie CUSD 204	No	(n/a)	No	No	(630) 375-1010	1,011	72	13.9	20.2%	200 (19.8%)	110 (10.9%)	127 (12.6%)	529 (52.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (4.2%)	87.9	150^th of 1368 public middle schools	89.0%		86.1	157^th of 1363 public middle schools	88.5%	7	69.8	69.6	67.3	79.0	72.1	58.0	61.9	60.8	60.3	98.1	98.4	98.3	98.4	98.3	98.0	98.5	97.2	$15,538	$626	$14,912
Fischer Middle School	Public	6-8	1305 Long Grove Dr	Aurora	60504	DuPage County	Indian Prairie CUSD 204	No	(n/a)	No	No	(630) 375-3100	861	63	13.7	34.5%	274 (31.8%)	110 (12.8%)	286 (33.2%)	141 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (5.8%)	57.6	519^th of 1368 public middle schools	62.1%		59	464^th of 1363 public middle schools	66.0%	55	45.0	55.1	44.9	63.2	54.4	37.8	35.3	31.5	34.8	99.0	99.1	99.1	99.1	98.8	99.1	99.2	95.9	$17,518	$738	$16,780
Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	1151 Plum St	Aurora	60506	Kane County	Aurora West Unified School District 129	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 301-5009	577	46	12.5	62.2%	58 (10.1%)	55 (9.5%)	421 (73.0%)	28 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.4%)	41.3	758^th of 1368 public middle schools	44.6%		32.1	862^nd of 1363 public middle schools	36.8%	104	31.3	50.7	39.0	56.0	48.9	26.1	29.9	16.5	24.1	99.8	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.8	100.0	99.5	$18,594	$1,671	$16,923
Still Middle School	Public	6-8	787 Meadowridge Dr	Aurora	60504	DuPage County	Indian Prairie CUSD 204	No	(n/a)	No	No	(630) 375-3900	709	54	13.0	18.8%	228 (32.2%)	51 (7.2%)	65 (9.2%)	335 (47.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.1%)	88	148^th of 1368 public middle schools	89.2%		91.5	105^th of 1363 public middle schools	92.3%	43	66.3	72.2	75.2	78.6	75.1	54.4	63.8	52.0	56.8	97.9	98.0	98.0	98.0	97.7	97.9	97.4	96.6	$19,087	$523	$18,564
Washington Middle School	Public	6-8	231 S Constitution Dr	Aurora	60506	Kane County	Aurora West Unified School District 129	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(630) 301-5017	690	44	15.6	57.8%	139 (20.1%)	53 (7.7%)	466 (67.5%)	15 (2.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.2%)	39	788^th of 1368 public middle schools	42.4%		34.8	820^th of 1363 public middle schools	39.8%	32	36.8	46.6	45.0	52.4	48.2	22.5	22.3	15.8	20.0	99.1	99.1	99.1	99.1	99.1	99.1	99.1	99.1	$17,012	$1,542	$15,470
Thayer J Hill Middle School	Public	6-8	1836 Brookdale Rd	Naperville	60563	DuPage County	Indian Prairie CUSD 204	No	(n/a)	No	No	(630) 428-6200	828	59	14.1	25.2%	248 (30.0%)	153 (18.5%)	121 (14.6%)	264 (31.9%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (4.7%)	81.1	235^th of 1368 public middle schools	82.8%		80.5	224^th of 1363 public middle schools	83.6%	11	66.0	64.6	65.9	73.9	68.1	45.1	51.2	52.2	49.4	97.9	98.3	98.3	98.3	98.6	98.2	98.6	95.8	$16,574	$610	$15,964

Frequently Asked Questions about Henry W Cowherd Middle School

What district is Henry W Cowherd Middle School in?

Aurora East Unified School District 131

Is Henry W Cowherd Middle School a good school?

Henry W Cowherd Middle School ranks in the bottom 7.7% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend Henry W Cowherd Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 807 students attended Henry W Cowherd Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Henry W Cowherd Middle School?

Students at Henry W Cowherd Middle School are 83% Hispanic, 13% African American, 2% White, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Henry W Cowherd Middle School attend?

Students who attend Henry W Cowherd Middle School usually go on to attend East High School

Rate Henry W Cowherd Middle School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.