Best Public Schools in Dixon, IL

The city of Dixon, Illinois is home to 5 schools serving students from elementary through high school, operated by the Dixon Unified School District 170. The district includes 3 elementary schools (Washington, Madison, and Jefferson), 1 middle school (Reagan), and 1 high school (Dixon High School).

Among the schools, Reagan Middle School stands out with the highest statewide ranking and a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. It also has relatively strong performance in English Language Arts assessments, with over 50% of students proficient or better. In contrast, Dixon High School struggles to meet state averages in most subject areas, with only 50.9% proficient or better in ELA and 24.7% in Math. The elementary schools have mixed performance, with Madison School outperforming the district and state in 4th and 5th grade Math, while Jefferson Elementary has only 15% proficient or better in ELA and Math.

Across the district, there are systemic challenges, such as a high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4% in all schools. Additionally, the schools serve a significant population of students from low-income households, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 46.89% at Dixon High School to 61.03% at Jefferson Elementary. These socioeconomic factors, along with variations in per-student spending and student-teacher ratios, may contribute to the performance disparities observed between the schools.