Harvard CUSD 50

The Harvard CUSD 50 district in Illinois consists of 5 schools, including 3 elementary schools (Crosby Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and Washington Elementary), 1 middle school (Harvard Junior High School), and 1 high school (Harvard High School). The district's academic performance is consistently below state averages, with all schools struggling to meet proficiency benchmarks in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

Harvard High School stands out with a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 89.0% and a low dropout rate of 2.4%, but its academic performance is concerning, with only 38.4% of 11th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, 12.2% in Mathematics, and 23.4% in Science. Harvard Junior High School performs better than the high school in English Language Arts, with 33.5% of all grades proficient or better, but still lags behind the state average of 53.1%. Mathematics proficiency is particularly low across the district, with only 9.2% of all grades at the junior high school proficient or better, compared to the state average of 38.5%.

The district's high rates of free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, ranging from 42.98% at the high school to 47.91% at Jefferson Elementary, suggest a significant population of economically disadvantaged students, which may be contributing to the overall academic underperformance. Additionally, the district-wide struggle with chronic absenteeism, particularly at the high school and middle school levels, is a concerning trend that may also be impacting student outcomes.