Summary:
The city of Piasa, Illinois is home to two schools - Southwestern High School and Southwestern Middle School - both part of the Southwestern CUSD 9 district. The district is ranked 385 out of 811 school districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.
While both schools have relatively low student-teacher ratios, they are facing significant challenges in terms of academic achievement. Southwestern High School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 289th out of 697 Illinois high schools in 2023-2024 to 362nd out of 698 in 2024-2025. Similarly, Southwestern Middle School has also seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 567th out of 1,367 Illinois middle schools in 2022-2023 to 615th out of 1,368 in 2024-2025. Both schools have relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, at 25.4% for the high school and middle school in 2024-2025, which may be impacting student performance.
Academically, both schools lag behind state averages in proficiency rates on standardized tests, particularly in math. Additionally, a significant percentage of students at both schools are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a relatively high level of economic disadvantage among the student populations. While the schools have low student-teacher ratios, this resource advantage does not appear to be translating into strong academic outcomes, indicating that factors beyond just staffing levels, such as curriculum, teaching quality, and student engagement, may be playing a role in the schools' performance.
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