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Central Middle School

Public Grades 8

99^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 91% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Central Middle School in Burlington serves 418 eighth graders in Central CUSD 301. Its clearest standout is its eighth-grade achievement: students scored above state results in ELA, math and science, and Central led nearby schools in ELA.

ELA is Central’s strongest subject compared with nearby schools: its 90% proficiency rate was about 8 points above the next-highest result at Thompson Middle School. Central was also near the top in math and science, placing second in both: its 62% in math was about 1 point below Thompson, while its 71% in science was about 3 points below. Central’s eighth-grade scores were above state results in all three subjects. They also match the district’s eighth-grade results; compared with the district’s all-grade results, Central was stronger in ELA (90% versus 80%) but slightly lower in math (62% versus 63%).

ELA and math have improved over the reported years: ELA rose from 83% in 2023–2024 to 90% in 2025–2026, and math from 49% to 62%. Science moved the other way, falling from 79% to 71%. SchoolDigger ranked Central at the 91st percentile statewide in 2025–2026 (99th of 1,126, with 5 stars); nearby Prairie Knolls Middle School ranked slightly higher at the 93rd percentile. Central’s 18.4:1 student-teacher ratio was the highest among nearby schools, compared with their 13.9:1 average. Its free/reduced lunch eligible rate was 17% in 2024–2025, the lowest reported among nearby schools and below their 41% average; this is context, not an explanation for results. One notable subgroup signal is that SchoolDigger placed Special Education Students at the 44th percentile in 2025–2026, compared with 91st overall and 81st for the group the previous year; subgroup populations vary, so the change merits questions rather than a firm conclusion.

418

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,362

Per pupil spending ?

16.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.5%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

44W303 Plato Rd
Burlington, IL 60109-0397

(847) 464-6000

District: Central CUSD 301

Students who attend Central Middle School usually attend:

High:

Central High School

Feeder schools for Central Middle School:

Elementary:	Country Trails Elementary
	Howard B Thomas Grade School
	Lily Lake Grade School
	Prairie View Grade School

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.9%

Hispanic:

17.7%

Asian:

15.8%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Central Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 85th percentile in 2011 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (74% vs 49% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Illinois middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2011

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school74%

District avg71%

Illinois avg49%

99^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Central CUSD 301

97^th of 738Central CUSD 301 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	87.8	99 of 1126	91.2%	★★★★★
2025	91.0	105 of 1368	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.8	54 of 1367	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	92.4	89 of 1369	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	94.4	54 of 1356	96.0%	★★★★★
2018	92.0	77 of 1293	94.0%	★★★★★
2017	93.3	62 of 1293	95.2%	★★★★★
2016	90.3	92 of 1294	92.9%	★★★★★
2012	81.7	177 of 1365	87.0%	★★★★☆
2011	80.1	196 of 1344	85.4%	★★★★☆
2010	82.9	133 of 1327	90.0%	★★★★★
2009	80.2	196 of 1318	85.1%	★★★★☆
2008	81.3	180 of 1293	86.1%	★★★★☆
2007	77.7	243 of 1287	81.1%	★★★★☆
2006	74.0	325 of 1272	74.4%	★★★★☆
2005	70.8	393 of 1209	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	79.4	236 of 1204	80.4%	★★★★☆
2003	82.4	188 of 1185	84.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	70.8	105 of 574	81.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	49 of 154	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	72.6	49 of 186	73.7%	★★★★☆
2023	75.3	37 of 192	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	70.6	54 of 198	72.7%	★★★★☆
2019	82.3	18 of 201	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	83.1	23 of 209	89.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	77.3	84 of 694	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	37 of 674	94.5%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	15 of 81	81.5%	★★★★☆
2025	82.1	33 of 483	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	74.9	38 of 480	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	50.0	147 of 454	67.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	86.8	74 of 867	91.5%	★★★★★
2025	86.7	136 of 1248	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	93.1	66 of 1275	94.8%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	81 of 1286	93.7%	★★★★★
2019	91.5	78 of 1276	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	90.0	86 of 1226	93.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	92.2	24 of 483	95.0%	★★★★★
2025	84.8	66 of 669	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	93.5	23 of 661	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	82.5	70 of 662	89.4%	★★★★☆
2019	91.4	26 of 639	95.9%	★★★★★
2018	81.8	71 of 590	88.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	92.6	27 of 788	96.6%	★★★★★
2025	86.3	92 of 1229	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	94.9	20 of 1234	98.4%	★★★★★
2022	94.8	25 of 1221	98.0%	★★★★★
2019	92.2	38 of 1217	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	75.0	189 of 1161	83.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	80.4	127 of 829	84.7%	★★★★☆
2025	92.6	72 of 1271	94.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.6	49 of 1292	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	81 of 1286	93.7%	★★★★★
2019	95.5	40 of 1296	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	92.5	61 of 1223	95.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	26 of 204	87.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.9	44 of 194	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	66.8	62 of 195	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	92.0	4 of 179	97.8%	★★★★★
2018	85.9	22 of 164	86.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	42.2	137 of 244	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	72.3	157 of 812	80.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	75.0	143 of 754	81.0%	★★★★☆
2025	80.2	139 of 884	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	90.3	51 of 895	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	86.0	85 of 898	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	88.6	52 of 905	94.3%	★★★★★
2018	85.9	78 of 889	91.2%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)97th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)95th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)91st percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)88th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)87th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)85th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2025)82nd percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)81st percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)81st percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2026)68th percentile-23 vs school

Special Education (2026)44th percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts90%+33 vs state

Science71%+19 vs state

Mathematics62%+23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Middle 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISA Science (2026)	IAR English Language Arts (2026)				IAR Mathematics (2026)				Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Middle School	Public	8	44W303 Plato Rd	Burlington	60109	Kane County	Central CUSD 301	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 464-6000	418	23	18.4	16.5%	246 (58.9%)	10 (2.4%)	74 (17.7%)	66 (15.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.3%)	87.8	99^th of 1126 public middle schools	91.2%		91	105^th of 1368 public middle schools	92.3%	6	71.0			89.7	89.7			62.3	62.3	97.5%		$16,362	$271	$16,092
Prairie Knolls Middle School	Public	6-7	225 Nesler Rd	Elgin	60124	Kane County	Central CUSD 301	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 717-8100	770	45	17.2	16.8%	470 (61.0%)	20 (2.6%)	127 (16.5%)	117 (15.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.4%)	90	78^th of 1126 public middle schools	93.1%		90.7	111^th of 1368 public middle schools	91.9%	33		89.4	82.0		85.6	70.3	62.7		66.4	97.8%		$15,432	$271	$15,161
Hampshire Middle School	Public	6-8	560 S State St	Hampshire	60140	Kane County	Cusd 300	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 683-2522	821	53	15.4	33.5%	484 (59.0%)	42 (5.1%)	226 (27.5%)	39 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (3.5%)	30.7	780^th of 1126 public middle schools	30.7%		45.7	683^rd of 1368 public middle schools	50.1%	97	40.0	54.3	56.5	49.1	53.3	37.1	31.8	20.9	29.9	97.6%		$16,308	$305	$16,003
Kimball Middle School	Public	7-8	451 N McLean Blvd	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5290	501	41	12.1	63.9%	56 (11.2%)	51 (10.2%)	371 (74.1%)	6 (1.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.6%)	9.9	1039^th of 1126 public middle schools	7.7%		17	1169^th of 1368 public middle schools	14.5%	130	31.5		35.1	38.6	36.9		20.5	9.2	14.7	98.6%		$24,784	$886	$23,898
Abbott Middle School	Public	7-8	949 Van St	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5160	551	43	12.7	69.3%	54 (9.8%)	55 (10.0%)	407 (73.9%)	21 (3.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	9.8	1041^st of 1126 public middle schools	7.5%		18.3	1153^rd of 1368 public middle schools	15.7%	112	34.7		33.0	40.3	36.6		15.8	9.7	12.8	98.7%		$23,010	$884	$22,127
Dundee Middle School	Public	6-8	4200 W Main St	Dundee	60118	Kane County	Cusd 300	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 426-1485	1,144	74	15.4	36.7%	614 (53.7%)	43 (3.8%)	347 (30.3%)	92 (8.0%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (3.7%)	57.8	423^rd of 1126 public middle schools	62.4%		71.5	342^nd of 1368 public middle schools	75.0%	81	56.9	61.5	64.8	70.5	65.5	40.1	46.3	46.2	44.1	98.1%		$16,578	$312	$16,266
Kaneland IgKnight Academy	Public	3-8	1N137 Meredith Rd	Maple Park	60151	Kane County	Kaneland CUSD 302	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(630) 365-5110	100	9	10.8	—	74 (74.0%)	1 (1.0%)	20 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.0%)								(n/a)										100%
Kenyon Woods Middle School	Public	7-8	1515 Raymond St	South Elgin	60177	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 289-6685	873	62	14.0	37.8%	332 (38.0%)	30 (3.4%)	384 (44.0%)	88 (10.1%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	34 (3.9%)	43.9	611^th of 1126 public middle schools	45.7%		59	500^th of 1368 public middle schools	63.5%	111	59.2		52.3	66.3	59.8		33.0	31.6	32.2	97.5%		$22,366	$392	$21,974
Sycamore Middle School	Public	6-8	150 Maplewood Dr	Sycamore	60178	DeKalb County	Sycamore CUSD 427	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(815) 899-8170	847	62	13.6	25.9%	654 (77.2%)	32 (3.8%)	111 (13.1%)	15 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.1%)	50.6	515^th of 1126 public middle schools	54.3%		59.8	492^nd of 1368 public middle schools	64.0%	23	57.3	68.7	56.5	64.4	63.3	42.3	39.3	33.1	38.2	96.4%		$17,427	$411	$17,016
Larsen Middle School	Public	7-8	665 Dundee Ave	Elgin	60120	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5250	570	40	14.3	62.8%	42 (7.4%)	26 (4.6%)	454 (79.6%)	34 (6.0%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.6%)	13	1002^nd of 1126 public middle schools	11.0%		20.3	1108^th of 1368 public middle schools	19.0%	106	33.6		39.0	44.1	41.6		20.6	13.2	16.8	99.4%		$20,287	$787	$19,500

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle School

Is Central Middle School a good school?

Yes. Central Middle School ranks in the top 8.8% of Illinois middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 59% White, 18% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Central Middle School in?

Central CUSD 301

How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 418 students attended Central Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Central Middle School attend?

Students who attend Central Middle School usually go on to attend Central High School

Rate Central Middle School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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.