Summary:
Jacksonville School District 117 includes eight schools serving elementary, middle and high school students in the Jacksonville area, with 2,984 students enrolled. In 2025–2026, the six elementary schools averaged 54% proficiency in ELA and 37% in math, below state results by 2 and 3 percentage points, respectively. The most important finding is the wide gap between elementary schools: the difference from highest to lowest was 28 points in ELA and 35 points in math.
Eisenhower Elementary led the elementary schools, with 69% proficiency in ELA and 55% in math; Lincoln Elementary had the lowest results, at 40% and 20%. Eisenhower was above the state by 12 points in ELA and 16 in math, while Lincoln was below it by 16 and 20 points. SchoolDigger ranked Eisenhower in the 72nd percentile with four stars, compared with Lincoln in the 17th percentile with one star. The contrast continues in fifth-grade science: Eisenhower reached 75% proficiency, versus 48% statewide, and led among schools with reported results. Secondary results offer a different picture: Jacksonville Middle School was above the state in eighth-grade science, 54% to 52%, but below state results in all-grades ELA and math. Jacksonville High School was below state ACT results in all three reported subjects.
Elementary ELA is improving on average: the six-school mean rose 4 points from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while the state rose 3. Math moved the other way: the school mean fell 1 point as the state rose 1, with Lincoln’s math result dropping 12 points. North Jacksonville had the largest ELA increase, up 11 points. At the high school, grade 9 and 10 PreACT Secure results improved across all three subjects, while grade 11 ACT results did not—encouraging progress, but not yet a turnaround in the older grade. School context does not sort neatly with results: Eisenhower had the highest elementary student–teacher ratio, 15.6, while the low-scoring Lincoln’s was 12.1; chronic absenteeism ranged from 11% at Eisenhower to 27% at Lincoln. These measures provide context, not an explanation for score differences.
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