Middle Schools in School District 45 DuPage County

School District 45 in DuPage County, Illinois, is home to two middle schools: Jackson Middle School and Jefferson Middle School. While both schools serve students in grades 6-8, they exhibit notable differences in their academic performance and student demographics.

Jackson Middle School consistently outperforms its counterpart, ranking in the top 50% of Illinois middle schools and exceeding the district and state averages in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency. In contrast, Jefferson Middle School struggles, particularly in Mathematics, with proficiency rates significantly below the district and state averages. This performance disparity may be influenced by the socioeconomic factors, as Jefferson Middle School has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch compared to Jackson Middle School.

Despite the additional resources allocated to Jefferson Middle School, with a higher per-student spending compared to Jackson Middle School, the academic outcomes have not shown significant improvement. Both schools, however, face the challenge of high chronic absenteeism rates, which may be impacting student learning and achievement across the district.