Best Middle Schools in DeKalb, IL

The city of DeKalb, Illinois is home to two middle schools: Huntley Middle School and Clinton Rosette Middle School, both serving grades 6-8 and part of the DeKalb CUSD 428 district. Based on the available data, neither school appears to be a standout performer, with both schools ranking relatively low within the state of Illinois.

Academically, both Huntley Middle School and Clinton Rosette Middle School struggle, with significantly lower test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Huntley Middle School had only 22.3% of students proficient or better in ELA, and 17.8% proficient in Mathematics, while the state averages were 53.1% and 38.5%, respectively. Clinton Rosette Middle School performed even worse, with only 17.9% proficient in ELA and 13.3% proficient in Mathematics. Additionally, both schools have high chronic absenteeism rates, with 25.4% of students chronically absent.

Socioeconomic factors may play a role in the schools' challenges, as Huntley Middle School has a 63.3% free and reduced lunch rate, and Clinton Rosette Middle School has an even higher rate of 74.05%. Despite the relatively high per-student spending at both schools, the academic outcomes remain poor, suggesting that the resources may not be effectively allocated or utilized to support student learning. Overall, the data analysis reveals that Huntley Middle School and Clinton Rosette Middle School are struggling to provide a high-quality education to their students, and further investigation into the root causes and targeted interventions may be necessary to help these schools improve.