Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Illinois rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

MacArthur High School

Q: Is MacArthur High School a good school?

MacArthur High School ranks in the bottom 7.1% of Illinois high schools.

Q: How many students attend MacArthur High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,059 students attended MacArthur High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of MacArthur High School?

Students at MacArthur High School are 51% African American, 27% White, 14% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic.

Q: What schools feed into MacArthur High School?

MacArthur High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Dennis Lab School Elementary : Franklin Grove Elementary School Elementary : Hope Academy Elementary : Michael E Baum Elementary School Elementary : Muffley Elementary School Elementary : Parsons Elementary School Elementary : South Shores Elementary School Middle : Stephen Decatur Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

576^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 620 Illinois High Schools

Better than 7% of Illinois high schools

Summary

MacArthur High School in Decatur, Illinois, serves grades 9–12 and enrolls 1,059 students. Its test results show a consistent challenge: in 2025–2026, proficiency was below the state rate in every reported subject and grade. The clearest concern is 11th-grade science, where 16% of students were proficient, compared with 48% statewide.

Compared with nearby high schools, MacArthur is near the bottom on most tests, and its science result is the lowest among the nearby schools with reported 11th-grade ACT scores. Its 11th-grade ELA and math results were second-lowest, at 17% and 11%; nearby-school averages were 48% and 31%. Math is a relative strength against the district: MacArthur had 11% proficiency, compared with 9.9% in Decatur School District 61, while its ELA and science results were lower than district rates. All reported PreACT results for grades 9 and 10 were also below state rates. Beyond tests, graduation has improved, but attendance remains a major concern: the 2025–2026 graduation rate was 87%, while chronic absenteeism was 51%—27 percentage points above the state rate.

Recent results are mixed: grade 9 PreACT ELA rose 1 point from the prior year, but grade 10 ELA fell 15 points; 11th-grade ACT ELA fell 5 points, while math stayed at 11%. Graduation rose from 73% in 2021–2022 to 87% in 2025–2026, and chronic absenteeism declined from 69% to 51%. SchoolDigger ranks MacArthur at the 7th percentile statewide with 0 stars, down from the 18th percentile and 1 star the previous year; it is below nearby Eisenhower High School, at the 9th percentile. MacArthur also has the highest student-teacher ratio among nearby schools, 19.9 in 2024–2025, and 73% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. In SchoolDigger’s group rankings, the Disabled Students group fell from the 62nd percentile in 2023–2024 to the 19th in 2024–2025, a sharp decline in its measure of how well the school serves that group.

1,059

Students ?

19.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,777

Per pupil spending ?

73.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

99.6%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

1499 W Grand Ave
Decatur, IL 62522-1410

(217) 362-3152

District: Decatur School District 61

Feeder schools for MacArthur High School:

Elementary:	Dennis Lab School
	Franklin Grove Elementary School
	Hope Academy
	Michael E Baum Elementary School
	More...
	Muffley Elementary School
	Parsons Elementary School
	South Shores Elementary School
Middle:	Stephen Decatur Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.6%

White:

27.5%

Two or more races:

13.6%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare MacArthur High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 9th percentile in 2016 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (19% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (50% vs 24% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg19%

Illinois avg47%

576^th of 620

Illinois public high schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Illinois High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Decatur School District 61

726^th of 738Decatur School District 61 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	7.1	576 of 620	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.2	573 of 698	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	532 of 697	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	557 of 699	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	517 of 699	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.5	541 of 688	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.4	544 of 701	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	529 of 647	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.2	532 of 642	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.9	586 of 643	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	16.8	535 of 614	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.4	536 of 670	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.5	557 of 670	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.8	530 of 665	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	37.5	458 of 655	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.8	402 of 643	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.7	435 of 632	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	26.7	500 of 624	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	36.2	442 of 612	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.7	484 of 596	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	33.2	465 of 590	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	38.9	427 of 592	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	42.6	402 of 586	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	17.6	168 of 187	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.5	226 of 323	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.7	230 of 299	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.1	190 of 301	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.0	191 of 294	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.0	194 of 281	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.0	213 of 299	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	167 of 253	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	399 of 491	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.7	165 of 429	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.8	263 of 428	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	9.4	283 of 284	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	4.7	524 of 545	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	584 of 685	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	499 of 664	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	530 of 656	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.2	436 of 658	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.0	507 of 639	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.7	509 of 665	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	503 of 620	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	300 of 366	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	239 of 336	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	312 of 333	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	68.6	73 of 335	78.2%	★★★★☆
2021	65.1	78 of 317	75.4%	★★★★☆
2019	39.7	167 of 317	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	8.8	456 of 478	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	581 of 672	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	512 of 639	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	524 of 644	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.7	509 of 626	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	479 of 611	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	529 of 639	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	503 of 585	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	7.5	487 of 521	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	550 of 685	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	520 of 668	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	527 of 668	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	548 of 664	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.5	505 of 653	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	527 of 675	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	512 of 619	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	183 of 211	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	168 of 182	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	136 of 163	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	136 of 170	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	155 of 160	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.5	143 of 165	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	26.7	376 of 527	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.2	256 of 482	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.2	210 of 476	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.0	128 of 493	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	29.3	270 of 453	40.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.6	306 of 473	35.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.2	248 of 374	33.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	3.3	515 of 515	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.5	521 of 564	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	371 of 554	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.5	496 of 557	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.5	322 of 560	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.1	430 of 553	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	426 of 552	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	461 of 548	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)29th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2025)19th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)13th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2026)10th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)7th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile~ school

Female (2026)4th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)<1st percentile-18 vs school

White (2026)<1st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts17%-33 vs state

Science16%-32 vs state

Mathematics11%-29 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate MacArthur High School and help other families decide.

Rate MacArthur High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near MacArthur High School

Load more schools when map is moved

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)				PreACT Secure English Language Arts (2026)		PreACT Secure Mathematics (2026)		PreACT Secure Science (2026)		ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (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	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	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
MacArthur High School	Public	9-12	1499 W Grand Ave	Decatur	62522	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 362-3152	1,059	53	19.9	73.0%	291 (27.5%)	536 (50.6%)	80 (7.6%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	144 (13.6%)	7.1	576^th of 620 public high schools	7.1%		17.2	573^rd of 698 public high schools	17.9%	3	35.4	26.0	14.8	9.9	19.7	20.1	17.0	11.0	16.1	99.6%		$15,777	$331	$15,446
Eisenhower High School	Public	9-12	1200 S 16th St	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 362-3100	909	53	17.1	76.7%	295 (32.5%)	433 (47.6%)	52 (5.7%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	121 (13.3%)	8.7	562^nd of 620 public high schools	9.4%		16.2	578^th of 698 public high schools	17.2%	16	38.1	30.4	16.8		23.7	17.1	17.8	8.6	22.0	99.9%		$17,793	$414	$17,379
Futures Unlimited	Public	9-12	3900 N Neely Ave	Decatur	62526	Macon County	Macon/Piatt ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(217) 362-3080	0	6	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Option Three	Public	6-12	3433 Rupp Pkwy	Decatur	62526	Macon County	Macon/Piatt ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(217) 872-3721	0	2	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Heartland Technical Academy	Public	11-12	1 College Park	Decatur	62521	Macon County	Macon/Piatt ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(217) 872-4051	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Warrensburg-Latham High School	Public	9-12	427 W North St	Warrensburg	62573	Macon County	Warrensburg-Latham CUSD 11	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 672-3531	336	19	17.7	38.7%	282 (83.9%)	12 (3.6%)	11 (3.3%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.5%)	49	293^rd of 620 public high schools	52.7%		51.1	333^rd of 698 public high schools	52.3%	40	60.0	55.3	48.0	30.9	49.3	42.6	50.7	21.9	39.7	100%		$11,378	$235	$11,143
Mt Zion High School	Public	9-12	305 S Henderson St	Mount Zion	62549	Macon County	Mt Zion CUSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 864-2363	762	44	17.3	21.8%	682 (89.5%)	13 (1.7%)	18 (2.4%)	17 (2.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (3.8%)	69.9	149^th of 620 public high schools	76.0%		75.7	137^th of 698 public high schools	80.4%	12	65.3	69.9	43.2	45.9	45.5	56.8	59.2	46.2	58.7	99.6%		$12,129	$458	$11,671
Sangamon Valley High School	Public	9-12	398 N Illinois St	Niantic	62551	Macon County	Sangamon Valley CUSD 9	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 668-2392	204	18	11.3	66.2%	183 (89.7%)	1 (0.5%)	8 (3.9%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.4%)	44.4	344^th of 620 public high schools	44.5%		38.4	460^th of 698 public high schools	34.1%	116	76.2	45.8	31.0	20.8	61.9	41.7	41.4	25.9	37.9	99%		$16,271	$735	$15,536
Meridian High School	Public	9-12	728 S Wall St	Macon	62544	Macon County	Meridian CUSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 764-5233	287	23	12.3	43.6%	264 (92.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)	54.9	251^st of 620 public high schools	59.5%		57.2	269^th of 698 public high schools	61.5%	18	62.1	55.6	45.5	41.3	53.0	44.4	45.8	35.6	40.7	99.6%		$14,914	$113	$14,801
Argenta-Oreana High School	Public	9-12	500 N Main St	Argenta	62501	Macon County	Argenta-Oreana CUSD 1	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 795-4821	268	21	12.9	56.0%	215 (80.2%)	13 (4.9%)	10 (3.7%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	23 (8.6%)	43.5	352^nd of 620 public high schools	43.2%		50.1	344^th of 698 public high schools	50.7%	8	62.3	54.8	27.9	19.4	49.2	33.9	50.8	30.2	46.0	99.3%		$13,612	$442	$13,170

Frequently Asked Questions about MacArthur High School

What district is MacArthur High School in?

Decatur School District 61

Is MacArthur High School a good school?

MacArthur High School ranks in the bottom 7.1% of Illinois high schools.

What schools feed into MacArthur High School?

MacArthur High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Dennis Lab School
Elementary : Franklin Grove Elementary School
Elementary : Hope Academy
Elementary : Michael E Baum Elementary School
Elementary : Muffley Elementary School
Elementary : Parsons Elementary School
Elementary : South Shores Elementary School
Middle : Stephen Decatur Middle School

How many students attend MacArthur High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,059 students attended MacArthur High School.

What is the racial makeup of MacArthur High School?

Students at MacArthur High School are 51% African American, 27% White, 14% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic.

Rate MacArthur High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

ILIllinois High School Rankings

ILIllinois District Rankings

Schools in Decatur, IL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for MacArthur High School!

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)Oct 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.