Summary:
The city of Payson, Illinois has only one high school, Seymour High School, which serves grades 7-12. With 229 students enrolled, the school has a student-teacher ratio of 13.1, slightly lower than the state average. However, the school's academic performance lags behind state benchmarks, with only 33.3% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and just 7.6% proficient or better in Math, compared to state averages of 53.1% and 38.5%, respectively.
Seymour High School's performance has been declining in recent years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 272nd out of 699 Illinois high schools in 2022-2023 to 432nd out of 698 in 2024-2025. Additionally, the school's 4-year graduation rate of 89.0% is slightly below the state average, and its dropout rate of 2.4% is higher than the state's average. These academic and performance challenges may be exacerbated by the fact that nearly half (48.47%) of Seymour High School's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a relatively high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.
Overall, the data suggests that Payson CUSD 1, the district that oversees Seymour High School, faces significant challenges in providing a high-quality education to its students. Addressing the school's academic underperformance, declining statewide ranking, and high rates of economic disadvantage will likely require a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to support the unique needs of the school and its community.
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