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Jefferson High School

Public Grades 9-12

587^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 620 Illinois High Schools

Better than 5% of Illinois high schools

Summary

Jefferson High School is a Rockford, Illinois, school in Rockford School District 205, serving 2,173 students in grades 9–12. Attendance is a major concern: 56% of students were chronically absent in 2025–2026, compared with 41% districtwide and 24% statewide. Most importantly, the school’s proficiency results were below both district and state rates in every reported subject and grade.

Compared with nearby high schools, Jefferson’s test results are generally among the lowest: it ranked lowest in all three 11th-grade ACT results and all three 10th-grade PreACT results among Auburn High School, Guilford High School and Rockford East High School. Its 10th-grade PreACT math result was 6%, compared with 36% statewide; its 11th-grade ACT math result was 8%, versus 40% statewide. Jefferson was slightly ahead of Rockford East in 9th-grade English and math, but lowest among those schools in 9th-grade science. One positive is graduation: Jefferson’s 2025–2026 rate was 82%, just above the district’s 81%, though below the state’s 90%. Its chronic absenteeism rate was also near the high end locally: 56%, compared with 57% at Auburn, 56% at Rockford East and 51% at Guilford.

Graduation improved from 69% in 2021–2022 to 82% in 2025–2026, while chronic absenteeism fell from 64% to 56% but remains more than twice the state rate. SchoolDigger placed Jefferson at the 5th percentile in Illinois, with 0 stars and a rank of 587 out of 620; its percentile fell 13 points from 18 in 2021–2022. The student-teacher ratio was 19.6:1 in 2024–2025, the highest among nearby high schools with reported ratios. Jefferson reported 70% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025, close to the 70% average among four nearby schools with the same measure. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile for English Language Learner Students fell from 36 in 2023–2024 to 3 in 2025–2026, compared with Jefferson’s overall percentile of 5 in the latest year—a marked decline in its relative standing for how well it serves this group.

2,173

Students ?

19.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,231

Per pupil spending ?

70.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

99.1%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

4145 Samuelson Rd
Rockford, IL 61109-3249

(815) 874-9536

District: Rockford School District 205

Feeder schools for Jefferson High School:

Elementary:	Arthur Froberg Elementary School
	Cherry Valley Elementary School
	Julia Lathrop Elementary School
	Riverdahl Elementary School
	More...
	Swan Hillman Elementary School
	Washington Elementary School
Middle:	Rockford Envrnmntl Science Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.5%

African American:

19.7%

White:

17.3%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Jefferson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 16th percentile in 2016 → 5th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (17% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Illinois average (82% vs 90%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg25%

Illinois avg47%

587^th of 620

Illinois public high schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4High Schools in the Rockford School District 205

672^nd of 738Rockford School District 205 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	5.6	587 of 620	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	622 of 698	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	609 of 697	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	592 of 699	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	570 of 699	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	582 of 688	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.3	583 of 701	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.0	556 of 647	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.0	561 of 642	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.6	537 of 643	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.7	429 of 614	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	18.8	553 of 670	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	17.9	550 of 670	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	16.5	559 of 665	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	17.9	542 of 655	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	14.1	551 of 643	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.5	539 of 632	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	14.2	535 of 624	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.6	527 of 612	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	17.9	502 of 596	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	25.5	486 of 590	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	44.0	395 of 592	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2003	22.1	483 of 586	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	161 of 187	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.9	270 of 323	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	237 of 299	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.4	178 of 301	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.2	237 of 294	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.8	231 of 281	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	227 of 299	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.1	141 of 253	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	6.3	138 of 148	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.3	136 of 137	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.4	133 of 141	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.5	132 of 135	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	109 of 130	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	23.5	426 of 491	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	249 of 429	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.0	288 of 428	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	13.8	146 of 150	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.7	262 of 284	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	158 of 248	36.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.2	147 of 217	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.3	146 of 205	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.4	70 of 189	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.6	141 of 183	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.5	105 of 151	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	3.8	529 of 545	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.2	609 of 685	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	582 of 664	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	563 of 656	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	567 of 658	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.0	554 of 639	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	553 of 665	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	519 of 620	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	7.4	261 of 268	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.7	340 of 366	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	318 of 336	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	301 of 333	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	260 of 335	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.0	266 of 317	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.9	255 of 317	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	258 of 291	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.5	109 of 138	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	68 of 125	45.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.1	55 of 104	47.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	55.8	25 of 98	74.5%	★★★★☆
2019	38.8	47 of 91	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	10.5	447 of 478	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.0	612 of 672	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	573 of 639	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	533 of 644	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	478 of 626	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.0	480 of 611	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.5	457 of 639	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.5	488 of 585	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	5.6	504 of 521	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.7	617 of 685	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	582 of 668	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	555 of 668	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	502 of 664	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	536 of 653	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.4	551 of 675	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.6	541 of 619	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	7.3	203 of 211	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	173 of 182	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	146 of 163	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	139 of 170	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	154 of 160	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.7	161 of 165	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.8	151 of 154	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.7	445 of 527	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	313 of 482	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.8	331 of 476	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.2	286 of 493	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.3	270 of 453	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.3	199 of 473	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.2	248 of 374	33.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	5.5	511 of 515	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.9	551 of 564	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	500 of 554	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	489 of 557	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	498 of 560	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	524 of 553	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	521 of 552	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.0	503 of 548	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)21st percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2025)16th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2026)14th percentile+9 vs school

Disabled (2025)13th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)7th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)4th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)3rd percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)3rd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)3rd percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

Science16%-32 vs state

English Language Arts15%-35 vs state

Mathematics8%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jefferson 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 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
Jefferson High School	Public	9-12	4145 Samuelson Rd	Rockford	61109	Winnebago County	Rockford School District 205	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 874-9536	2,173	111	19.6	70.0%	377 (17.3%)	428 (19.7%)	1,205 (55.5%)	52 (2.4%)	11 (0.5%)	1 (0.0%)	99 (4.6%)	5.6	587^th of 620 public high schools	5.3%		10.4	622^nd of 698 public high schools	10.9%	35	33.6	20.6	11.6	5.6	23.7	17.0	15.2	7.5	15.5	99.1%		$15,231	$759	$14,471
College and Career Education Center	Public	9-12	4151 Samuelson Rd	Rockford	61109	Winnebago County	Rockford School District 205	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(815) 966-6639	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Rockford East High School	Public	9-12	2929 Charles St	Rockford	61108	Winnebago County	Rockford School District 205	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 229-2100	1,719	105	16.3	71.6%	458 (26.6%)	521 (30.3%)	507 (29.5%)	89 (5.2%)	12 (0.7%)	2 (0.1%)	130 (7.6%)	6.8	579^th of 620 public high schools	6.6%		12.1	612^th of 698 public high schools	12.3%	33	33.1	22.5	9.3	8.2	19.8	27.6	16.2	9.7	16.9	99.4%		$16,308	$972	$15,336
Roosevelt Center	Public	9-12	978 Haskell Ave	Rockford	61103	Winnebago County	Rockford School District 205	No	(n/a)	No	No	(815) 966-3251	60	44	1.3	83.3%	7 (11.7%)	26 (43.3%)	15 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (20.0%)								(n/a)										99.4%		$20,554	$781	$19,773
Guilford High School	Public	9-12	5620 Spring Creek Rd	Rockford	61114	Winnebago County	Rockford School District 205	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 654-4870	2,216	114	19.5	58.7%	783 (35.3%)	641 (28.9%)	542 (24.5%)	72 (3.2%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	174 (7.9%)	19.6	504^th of 620 public high schools	18.7%		27.6	519^th of 698 public high schools	25.6%	15	49.3	38.6	20.4	14.1	33.3	27.8	31.7	15.7	33.6	99.2%		$15,089	$803	$14,286
CEANCI EFE 150 Career Education Associates of N Central IL	Public	11-12	300 Heart Blvd	Loves Park	61111	Winnebago County	Boone/Winnebago ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(815) 921-8472	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Auburn High School	Public	9-12	5110 Auburn St	Rockford	61101	Winnebago County	Rockford School District 205	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 966-3300	1,957	102	19.2	67.1%	506 (25.9%)	840 (42.9%)	377 (19.3%)	75 (3.8%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	153 (7.8%)	35.6	421^st of 620 public high schools	32.1%		40.6	434^th of 698 public high schools	37.8%	13	55.3	46.1	33.2	31.1	40.5	41.1	36.2	27.1	33.7	99.4%		$16,572	$771	$15,801
Summit Academy TAOEP	Public	6-12	1102 Evans Ave	Machesney Park	61115	Winnebago County	Boone/Winnebago ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(815) 636-3060	0	9	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Summit Academy RSSP	Public	6-12	1102 Evans Ave	Machesney Park	61115	Winnebago County	Boone/Winnebago ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(779) 771-6392	0	9	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Summit Academy ALOP	Public	6-12	1102 Evans Ave	Machesney Park	61115	Winnebago County	Boone/Winnebago ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(815) 636-3060	0	10	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson High School

Is Jefferson High School a good school?

Jefferson High School ranks in the bottom 5.3% of Illinois high schools.

How many students attend Jefferson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,173 students attended Jefferson High School.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson High School?

Students at Jefferson High School are 55% Hispanic, 20% African American, 17% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools feed into Jefferson High School?

Jefferson High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Arthur Froberg Elementary School
Elementary : Cherry Valley Elementary School
Elementary : Julia Lathrop Elementary School
Elementary : Riverdahl Elementary School
Elementary : Swan Hillman Elementary School
Elementary : Washington Elementary School
Middle : Rockford Envrnmntl Science Academy

What district is Jefferson High School in?

Rockford School District 205

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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.