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J Sterling Morton East High School

Public Grades 10-12

562^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 698 Illinois High Schools

Better than 19% of Illinois high schools

Summary

J Sterling Morton East High School is a public high school located in Cicero, Illinois, serving 3,474 students in grades 10-12. The school is part of the J S Morton HSD 201 district, which is ranked 751 out of 811 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

J Sterling Morton East High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Illinois high schools, maintaining a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past 9 years. The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with particularly low rankings for English Language Learner (ELL) students. While the school's four-year graduation rate has improved, its dropout rate remains relatively high. Academically, the school's proficiency rates on standardized tests are significantly below state and district averages across all subject areas.

Compared to the nearby J Sterling Morton West High School, also part of the J S Morton HSD 201 district, J Sterling Morton East High School performs slightly worse across various metrics. However, both schools are still performing below the state average and are ranked in the bottom half of Illinois high schools. Addressing the unique needs of the school's diverse student population and implementing targeted interventions will be crucial for driving meaningful and sustainable improvements at J Sterling Morton East High School.

3,394

Students ?

18.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,215

Per pupil spending ?

87.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2423 S Austin Blvd
Cicero, IL 60804-2616

(708) 780-4000

District: J S Morton HSD 201

Feeder schools for J Sterling Morton East High School:

Elementary:	Abe Lincoln Elementary School
	Cicero West Elementary School
	Columbus West Elementary School
	Daniel Burnham Elementary School
	More...
	Drexel Elementary School
	Goodwin Elementary School
	Liberty Elementary School
	Sherlock Elementary School
	T Roosevelt Elementary School
	Warren Park School
	Woodrow Wilson Elementary School
Middle:	Cicero East Elementary School
	Columbus East Elementary School
	Unity Junior High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.4%

African American:

1.7%

American Indian:

1.3%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare J Sterling Morton East High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 26th percentile in 2024 → 19th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (23% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Illinois average (83% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg26%

Illinois avg47%

562^nd of 698

Illinois public high schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the J S Morton HSD 201

751^st of 811J S Morton HSD 201 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
2025	20.3	562 of 698	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	516 of 697	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	529 of 699	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	532 of 699	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.5	553 of 688	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.9	590 of 701	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	567 of 647	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.3	586 of 642	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	10.8	611 of 643	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	9.0	594 of 670	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.2	600 of 670	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	10.1	583 of 665	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	9.0	572 of 655	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	6.4	575 of 643	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	7.7	565 of 632	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	6.9	557 of 624	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	8.9	543 of 612	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	6.6	542 of 596	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	3.7	544 of 590	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	5.8	539 of 592	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	6.9	534 of 586	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	32.0	207 of 323	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.1	274 of 299	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	215 of 301	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	213 of 294	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.0	193 of 281	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.4	149 of 299	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	19.3	245 of 253	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	355 of 491	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	255 of 429	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.0	209 of 428	51.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	24.1	248 of 284	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	144 of 248	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	127 of 217	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	136 of 205	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.8	86 of 189	54.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.3	113 of 183	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.2	103 of 151	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	18.8	555 of 685	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	512 of 664	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	497 of 656	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	508 of 658	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.4	530 of 639	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	564 of 665	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	548 of 620	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	26.3	279 of 366	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	267 of 336	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	225 of 333	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	228 of 335	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.3	233 of 317	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.4	259 of 317	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	242 of 291	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	71.2	23 of 138	83.3%	★★★★☆
2024	52.4	39 of 125	68.8%	★★★★☆
2023	28.1	55 of 104	47.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	46 of 98	53.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	20 of 24	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.3	46 of 91	49.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	33.2	484 of 672	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.8	391 of 639	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	408 of 644	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.1	392 of 626	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.4	413 of 611	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.9	482 of 639	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	467 of 585	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	21.5	546 of 685	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	476 of 668	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	501 of 668	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	494 of 664	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.5	495 of 653	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.7	556 of 675	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	528 of 619	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	92.1	1 of 3	66.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	24.1	405 of 527	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	349 of 482	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	334 of 476	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	284 of 493	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.3	267 of 453	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.1	247 of 473	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.2	248 of 374	33.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2024	60.0	181 of 554	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	9.1	539 of 557	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	532 of 560	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.8	548 of 553	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.9	548 of 552	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)83rd percentile+64 vs school

White (2024)67th percentile+41 vs school

Native American (2024)67th percentile+41 vs school

African American (2025)36th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2025)28th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)24th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)20th percentile~ school

Female (2025)19th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)13th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts29%-23 vs state

Science22%-27 vs state

Mathematics16%-24 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 27, 2014

I believe that Morton deserves more credit then what they are given.Although the school has some bad credit parents you need to remember that it is the student who has to make up the choice if they would like to go somewhere with there life. The teachers help students when struggling. They teach students discipline. Unlike some private schools. I regret taking my daughter out but I will be bringing her back. If a student really goes after there opportunities they will go far. Close Quote

Schools Near J Sterling Morton East High School

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)	% 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	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	% 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
J Sterling Morton East High School	Public	10-12	2423 S Austin Blvd	Cicero	60804	Cook County	J S Morton HSD 201	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 780-4000	3,394	185	18.3	87.2%	38 (1.1%)	59 (1.7%)	3,239 (95.4%)	4 (0.1%)	43 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (0.3%)	20.3	562^nd of 698 public high schools	19.5%		22.7	516^th of 697 public high schools	26.0%	46		32.2		11.2		28.9	28.7	15.5	21.7	99.1	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.3	98.9	99.1	97.0	$18,215	$638	$17,577
J Sterling Morton Alternative School	Public	9-12	1874 S 54th Ave	Cicero	60804	Cook County	J S Morton HSD 201	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 780-4080	0	11	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	97.9	100.0	89.4
J Sterling Morton West High School	Public	9-12	2400 Home Ave	Berwyn	60402	Cook County	J S Morton HSD 201	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 780-4100	3,374	218	15.4	78.2%	203 (6.0%)	233 (6.9%)	2,853 (84.6%)	41 (1.2%)	6 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	37 (1.1%)	31.6	501^st of 698 public high schools	28.2%		27.4	493^rd of 697 public high schools	29.3%	8	49.5	39.7	19.5	16.6	35.5	33.9	40.8	18.6	32.7	99.4	99.1	99.1	99.1	99.3	98.8	99.4	96.5	$18,611	$886	$17,725
World Language High School	Public	9-12	3120 S Kostner Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-4334	389	33	11.9	93.6%	4 (1.0%)	14 (3.6%)	371 (95.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.8	592^nd of 698 public high schools	15.2%		15.9	586^th of 697 public high schools	15.9%	6	36.4	30.6	6.8	6.9	20.5	19.4	39.2	5.9	17.6	89.6	96.9	96.9	96.9	90.2	97.6	96.6	84.7	$23,532	$2,687	$20,845
School of Social Justice High School	Public	9-12	3120 S Kostner Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-4300	269	28	9.7	94.1%	1 (0.4%)	49 (18.2%)	218 (81.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.4	641^st of 698 public high schools	8.2%		9.7	680^th of 697 public high schools	2.4%	39	9.1	17.0	2.2	2.1	13.6	14.9	26.6	4.7	21.9	83.9	91.3	91.3	91.3	82.9	90.3	90.6	71.8	$26,192	$4,033	$22,159
Multicultural Arts High School	Public	9-12	3120 S Kostner Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-4242	283	26	11.0	93.6%	3 (1.1%)	51 (18.0%)	229 (80.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9	635^th of 698 public high schools	9.0%		12.2	639^th of 697 public high schools	8.3%	4	38.2	19.6	2.9	0.0	20.6	15.7	19.3	5.3	15.8	82.1	89.4	89.4	89.4	80.4	88.1	87.2	82.1	$23,509	$3,420	$20,089
Clark Academy Prep Magnet High School	Public	9-12	5101 W Harrison St	Chicago	60644	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-6250	453	33	13.9	89.6%	0 (0.0%)	441 (97.4%)	12 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6.8	656^th of 698 public high schools	6.0%		11.6	650^th of 697 public high schools	6.7%	6	26.3	14.8	2.0	1.1	20.4	4.5	12.3	1.5	21.5	97.0	99.0	99.0	99.0	90.9	99.2	98.5	76.9	$22,618	$2,824	$19,795
Infinity Math Science & Technical High School	Public	9-12	3120 S Kostner Ave	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 535-4225	427	31	13.6	92.0%	5 (1.2%)	19 (4.4%)	401 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36.4	474^th of 698 public high schools	32.1%		27.7	491^st of 697 public high schools	29.6%	17	43.7	40.6	23.0	19.8	36.8	35.6	48.2	27.7	34.8	95.2	99.8	99.8	99.8	93.3	99.5	99.8	93.6	$20,330	$2,407	$17,923
Austin College and Career Academy High School	Public	9-12	231 N Pine Ave	Chicago	60644	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(773) 534-0660	190	19	10.0	83.7%	2 (1.1%)	153 (80.5%)	33 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	4.1	685^th of 698 public high schools	1.9%		12.4	636^th of 697 public high schools	8.8%	49	13.3	10.3	0.0	0.0	6.7	10.3	5.6	2.8	8.3	91.1	92.9	92.9	92.9	90.5	92.9	93.5	88.8	$39,254	$5,884	$33,370
Yccs-Cca Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1231 S Pulaski Rd	Chicago	60623	Cook County	Chicago Public Schools District 299	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(773) 762-2272	124	2	62.0	99.2%	0 (0.0%)	118 (95.2%)	6 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.2	671^st of 698 public high schools	3.9%		10.6	665^th of 697 public high schools	4.6%	6		0.0		6.3		6.3	0.0	4.7	7.0									$13,585	$1,156	$12,429

Frequently Asked Questions about J Sterling Morton East High School

How many students attend J Sterling Morton East High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 3,394 students attended J Sterling Morton East High School.

Is J Sterling Morton East High School a good school?

J Sterling Morton East High School ranks in the bottom 19.5% of Illinois high schools.

What is the racial makeup of J Sterling Morton East High School?

Students at J Sterling Morton East High School are 95% Hispanic, 2% African American, 1% American Indian, 1% White.

What schools feed into J Sterling Morton East High School?

What district is J Sterling Morton East High School in?

J S Morton HSD 201

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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.