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Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School

Q: Is Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School a good school?

Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School ranks 369 th of 698 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-12

369^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 698 Illinois High Schools

Better than 47% of Illinois high schools

Summary

Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School is a public school serving 170 students in grades 6-12 in Cowden, Illinois. The school is part of the Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A district, which is ranked 284 out of 811 districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cowden-Herrick has generally strong academic performance, with students outperforming the state average in English Language Arts (76.9% proficient or better) and science (63.6% proficient or better). The school's graduation rates have been fluctuating but remain higher than the state average, ranging from 87.7% to 95.5% in recent years. However, Cowden-Herrick faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, which have ranged from 20.7% to 28.9% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, Cowden-Herrick generally performs better than Brownstown High School and St. Elmo Senior High School in terms of test scores and graduation rates. However, Cowden-Herrick has higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to schools like Effingham High School, Ramsey High School, and Shelbyville High School.

168

Students ?

9.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,594

Per pupil spending ?

64.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

633 County Highway 22
Cowden, IL 62422-4104

(217) 783-2125

District: Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A

Feeder schools for Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School:

Elementary:

Cowden-Herrick Grade School

Racial breakdown:

White:

97.6%

African American:

0.6%

Asian:

0.6%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2015 → 47th in 2025

Strengths

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the Illinois average (89%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg46%

Illinois avg47%

Middle school

255^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 53 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

369^th of 698

Illinois public high schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

284^th of 811Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	255 of 1368	81.4%	★★★★☆
2024	65.6	392 of 1363	71.2%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	253 of 1367	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	62.9	416 of 1369	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.6	628 of 1241	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.5	966 of 1356	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	966 of 1293	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	29.6	910 of 1293	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.8	1063 of 1294	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	28.1	928 of 1302	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.8	1041 of 1322	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	66.3	376 of 1248	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	613 of 1251	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.1	449 of 1275	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.0	881 of 1276	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.3	834 of 1226	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	87 of 1229	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	65.2	302 of 1219	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.1	139 of 1234	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	74.3	178 of 1221	85.4%	★★★★☆
2021	58.0	304 of 1019	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	25.9	967 of 1217	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.5	829 of 1161	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	84.2	160 of 1271	87.4%	★★★★☆
2024	84.2	160 of 1264	87.3%	★★★★☆
2023	85.5	142 of 1292	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	60.1	418 of 1286	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.1	665 of 1048	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.0	931 of 1296	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.3	996 of 1223	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	61.1	313 of 884	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.5	406 of 875	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	289 of 895	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.3	488 of 898	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.6	616 of 813	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	806 of 905	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	824 of 889	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	47.5	369 of 698	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	69.0	169 of 697	75.8%	★★★★☆
2023	16.1	592 of 699	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	485 of 699	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	10.3	638 of 688	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.4	557 of 701	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	57.5	255 of 647	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	27.6	486 of 642	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	38.9	403 of 643	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	29.3	443 of 614	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.0	544 of 670	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	11.1	582 of 670	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	52.0	368 of 665	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.3	475 of 655	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	58.3	307 of 643	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.3	242 of 632	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	50.6	362 of 624	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	37.1	433 of 612	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	62.1	238 of 596	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	39.3	429 of 590	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	52.2	328 of 592	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2003	21.6	485 of 586	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	39.2	432 of 685	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	69.0	168 of 664	74.7%	★★★★☆
2019	11.0	583 of 665	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	54.8	267 of 620	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	226 of 672	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.7	190 of 639	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	22.7	521 of 644	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.3	323 of 626	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.8	512 of 611	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	74.1	91 of 585	84.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	64.7	197 of 685	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	66.8	178 of 668	73.4%	★★★★☆
2023	20.8	543 of 668	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	504 of 664	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	593 of 653	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.4	465 of 675	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.5	264 of 619	57.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	424 of 564	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	51.0	221 of 554	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	6.6	547 of 557	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	508 of 560	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.6	549 of 553	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.7	533 of 552	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	42.2	292 of 548	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)87th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)70th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)65th percentile-17 vs school

High school

Male (2025)71st percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)66th percentile+19 vs school

Female (2025)37th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts77%+24 vs state

Science64%+18 vs state

Mathematics42%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PreACT Secure English Language Arts (2025)		PreACT Secure Mathematics (2025)		PreACT Secure Science (2025)		ACT English Language Arts (2025)	ACT Mathematics (2025)	ACT Science (2025)	ISA Science (2025)	IAR English Language Arts (2025)				IAR Mathematics (2025)				% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PreACT Secure English Language Arts 9th Grade	PreACT Secure English Language Arts 10th Grade	PreACT Secure Mathematics 9th Grade	PreACT Secure Mathematics 10th Grade	PreACT Secure Science 9th Grade	PreACT Secure Science 10th Grade	ACT English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT Science 11th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School	Public	6-12	633 County Highway 22	Cowden	62422	Shelby County	Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 783-2125	168	17	9.8	64.3%	164 (97.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	47.5	369^th of 698 public high schools	47.1%		69	169^th of 697 public high schools	75.8%	200	52.6	59.3	26.3	14.8	52.6	40.7	37.5	43.8	31.3	63.6	70.0	83.3	76.2	76.9	35.0	56.5	33.3	42.2									$15,594	$1,538	$14,056
Beecher City Junior-Senior High School	Public	6-12	438 E State Highway 33	Beecher City	62414	Effingham County	Beecher City CUSD 20	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 487-5100	165	16	10.0	46.1%	151 (91.5%)	4 (2.4%)	3 (1.8%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	80.2	109^th of 698 public high schools	84.4%		76.2	136^th of 697 public high schools	80.5%	27	51.7	70.0	55.2	65.0	51.7	55.0	60.0	80.0	73.3	31.6	44.4	65.2	21.1	44.9	18.5	47.8	10.5	26.1	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	$14,859	$101	$14,759
Shelbyville High School	Public	9-12	1001 W North 6th St	Shelbyville	62565	Shelby County	Shelbyville CUSD 4	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 774-3926	345	27	12.7	37.7%	312 (90.4%)	11 (3.2%)	10 (2.9%)	6 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	61.4	238^th of 698 public high schools	65.9%		78.7	117^th of 697 public high schools	83.2%	121	63.0	54.9	29.6	31.9	46.9	33.3	61.1	48.6	55.6										98.0	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	98.3	98.0	$12,440	$903	$11,537
Shelbyville Bridges	Public	6-12	201 E North 12th St	Shelbyville	62565	Shelby County	Clk/Cls/Cmbn/Dglas/Edgr/Mltr/Shlb	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(217) 774-1037	0	3	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Stewardson-Strasburg High School	Public	9-12	2806 E 600 North Rd	Strasburg	62465	Shelby County	Stewardson-Strasburg CUD 5A	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 682-3355	143	11	12.5	36.4%	140 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	68.4	184^th of 698 public high schools	73.6%		62.8	209^th of 697 public high schools	70.0%	25	69.0	53.7	34.5	39.0	51.7	51.2	47.2	50.0	58.3																		$11,639	$748	$10,891
Altamont High School	Public	9-12	7 S Ewing St	Altamont	62411	Effingham County	Altamont CUSD 10	No	(n/a)	No	No	(618) 483-6194	222	21	10.8	51.4%	208 (93.7%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)	60	249^th of 698 public high schools	64.3%		56.4	247^th of 697 public high schools	64.6%	2	60.3	47.1	39.7	31.4	47.8	45.1	51.8	48.2	44.6										99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	$14,834	$372	$14,462
St Elmo Senior High School	Public	9-12	300 W 12th St	Saint Elmo	62458	Fayette County	St Elmo CUSD 202	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 829-3227	113	9	12.7	45.1%	104 (92.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42.8	411^th of 698 public high schools	41.1%		16.7	581^st of 697 public high schools	16.6%	170	54.2	42.9	29.2	14.3	45.8	35.7	58.3	25.0	33.3										98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.4	97.6	$12,964	$772	$12,193
Ramsey High School	Public	6-12	702 W 6th St	Ramsey	62080	Fayette County	Ramsey CUSD 204	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 423-2333	181	16	11.5	66.9%	170 (93.9%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.8%)	50.6	338^th of 698 public high schools	51.6%		69.2	166^th of 697 public high schools	76.2%	172	42.9	48.3	28.6	34.5	28.6	55.2	42.9	46.4	46.4	63.0	73.1	76.2	85.7	78.7	26.9	28.6	42.9	33.3	100.0	99.0	99.0	99.0	99.5	99.0	99.5	98.5	$15,037	$1,451	$13,587
Pana Senior High School	Public	9-12	201 W 8th St	Pana	62557	Christian County	Pana CUSD 8	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 562-6643	404	26	15.3	42.1%	379 (93.8%)	4 (1.0%)	7 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)	60.3	246^th of 698 public high schools	64.8%		33	452^nd of 697 public high schools	35.2%	206	61.6	54.8	30.4	23.7	51.8	45.2	61.5	33.3	55.2										99.0	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.0	99.0	97.6	$16,848	$1,429	$15,419
Brownstown High School	Public	9-12	421 S College Ave	Brownstown	62418	Fayette County	Brownstown CUSD 201	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 427-3839	102	9	11.8	68.6%	99 (97.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	38.6	456^th of 698 public high schools	34.7%		36.4	424^th of 697 public high schools	39.2%	32	69.0	42.3	17.2	19.2	48.3	30.8	47.4	21.1	15.8										100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	98.9	100.0	97.9	$13,602	$1,141	$12,461

Frequently Asked Questions about Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School?

Students at Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School are 98% White.

What schools feed into Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School?

Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cowden-Herrick Grade School

How many students attend Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 168 students attended Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School.

Is Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School a good school?

Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School ranks 369^th of 698 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School in?

Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A

Rate Cowden-Herrick Junior/Senior High School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 30, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2025

2024–25 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataOct 30, 2024

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.