Best Middle Schools in Kankakee, IL

The city of Kankakee, Illinois is home to two middle schools: Kankakee Junior High School and Limestone Middle School. These schools serve students in grades 6-8 and are part of the Kankakee School District 111 and Herscher CUSD 2 districts, respectively.

Based on the available data, Limestone Middle School appears to be the standout school in this area. Limestone is ranked significantly higher than Kankakee Junior High in the statewide SchoolDigger rankings, placing 315th out of 1,368 Illinois middle schools compared to Kankakee Junior High's 1,099th ranking. Limestone has also maintained a consistent 4-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past 3 school years, while Kankakee Junior High has only a 1-star rating. Limestone's test scores are substantially higher than Kankakee Junior High's across all subject areas and grade levels.

Despite the performance gap, both schools face challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, with 25.4% of students chronically absent at both schools in the 2024-2025 school year. Per-student spending and student-teacher ratios are also comparable between the two schools. These factors suggest that addressing attendance issues and ensuring equitable access to resources may be key areas for improvement across the middle schools in Kankakee.