Summary:
The Sterling CUSD 5 school district in Illinois has only one middle school, Challand Middle School, which serves students in grades 6-8. While the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio and higher-than-average per-student spending, its academic performance has been declining over the past three years and is significantly below the state average in key areas.
Challand Middle School's statewide ranking has dropped from 701 out of 1,367 Illinois middle schools in 2022-2023 to 874 out of 1,368 in 2024-2025. The school's performance on standardized tests in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science is well below the state averages, with only 37.9% of students proficient or better in ELA and 26% in Math, compared to the state averages of 53.1% and 38.5%, respectively. Additionally, the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4% in the 2024-2025 school year is a concerning metric.
While the school's resource allocation, with a relatively low student-teacher ratio and higher-than-average per-student spending, suggests a commitment to supporting student learning, the academic outcomes do not appear to be commensurate with the resources invested. This may indicate a need to evaluate the effectiveness of the school's resource allocation and explore ways to optimize the use of available funds to address the challenges facing Challand Middle School and improve its overall performance.
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