Best Public Schools in Macon, IL

Macon has two schools in Meridian CUSD 15, serving grades 6–12: Meridian Middle School serves grades 6–8 and Meridian High School serves grades 9–12. Because the schools’ reported scores cover different grades and assessments, they do not establish a fair overall score leader. The clearest finding is that results vary by grade: the high school is above state proficiency in five of six grade 9–10 PreACT comparisons but below state results in all three grade 11 ACT subjects, while the middle school is below state results in every comparable reported score.

Meridian High stands out on grade 9–10 PreACT: its state-relative advantages range from 1 to 6 percentage points across the five subjects where it leads, though grade 10 science is 4 points below the state. In grade 11 ACT, it trails the state by 4 points in ELA, 4 in math and 7 in science. Meridian Middle’s largest gap is math: 28% meet proficiency, compared with 40% statewide, a 12-point difference; its ELA gap is 5 points and its eighth-grade science gap is 5 points. The high school’s graduation rate is a bright spot at 95%, versus 90% statewide, although its chronic absenteeism is 26%, 2 points above the state rate.

Scores moved closer to state results in 9 of 12 available year-to-year comparisons, but improvement was not universal. Middle-school math rose from 26% to 28%, narrowing its state-relative gap from 13 points to 12; the middle school’s ELA and eighth-grade science gaps also narrowed. SchoolDigger’s latest statewide rankings place Meridian High at the 60th percentile with three stars and Meridian Middle at the 33rd percentile with two stars. The schools have similar student-teacher ratios—12.3 at the high school and 12.1 at the middle school—and similar free/reduced lunch eligible shares in 2024–2025: 44% and 43%, respectively.