Summary:
The Gillespie CUSD 7 school district in Illinois consists of three schools: Ben-Gil Elementary School, Gillespie High School, and Gillespie Middle School. The district serves a population with significant economic disadvantages, as evidenced by the high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients across the schools.
Among the standout schools in the district, Ben-Gil Elementary School stands out for its consistently high performance on English Language Arts (ELA) assessments, with 58.8% of students proficient or better in 2024-2025, compared to the district average of 49.8% and the state average of 53.1%. The school also excels in 4th grade ELA and has relatively high science proficiency. Gillespie High School also performs well, with a graduation rate of 89.0% in 2024-2025 and a low dropout rate of 2.4% in the same year.
However, the district as a whole faces challenges in academic performance, with student proficiency in ELA and Mathematics generally below state averages. Additionally, all three schools in the district have high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 25.4% in 2024-2025, which may be impacting student learning and achievement. The district is ranked 442 out of 811 districts in Illinois and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, indicating average performance compared to other districts in the state.
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