Middle Schools in Joliet PSD 86

Joliet PSD 86 has four middle schools serving grades 6–8 in Joliet. In 2025–26, all four were below Illinois rates in every reported measure: their averages were 42% in all-grades ELA versus 56% statewide, 16% in math versus 40%, and 32% in eighth-grade science versus 52%. The clearest shared challenge is math, where the schools’ average was 23 percentage points below the state rate.

Washington Junior High & Academy Prgm leads in all-grades ELA (47%) and math (20%), topping the other schools’ averages by 7 and 5 points, respectively. Gompers Junior High School leads eighth-grade science at 37%, but has the lowest all-grades math rate at 14%. Dirksen Junior High School stands out in seventh grade, leading ELA at 48% and math at 25%, yet has the lowest all-grades ELA rate, 35%—12 points below Washington. Hufford Junior High School is generally mid-range. SchoolDigger’s 2025–26 statewide rankings place the four schools between the 8th and 17th percentiles.

Average results improved from 2024–25 to 2025–26: the four-school gains were 10 points in ELA, 3 in math and 10 in science, narrowing the gaps to state rates by 7, 2 and 3 points, respectively. At the same time, SchoolDigger’s ranking percentiles fell at every school between 2023–24 and 2025–26, so the ranking history does not mirror the recent score gains. Gompers had the lowest reported student–teacher ratio, 10.0 in 2024–25, but its results vary by subject. For income context, Hufford reported 97% free/reduced lunch eligible in school year 2024–25; Washington, Dirksen and Gompers reported all students receive free meals (Community Eligibility) that year. Washington had the lowest chronic absenteeism, 26%, while Gompers had the highest, 30%, despite leading in science.