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Challand Middle School

Q: Is Challand Middle School a good school?

Challand Middle School ranks 783 rd of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

783^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 30% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Challand Middle School serves grades 6–8 and enrolls 726 students in Sterling, Illinois, making it the largest school in this nearby comparison group; it is part of Sterling CUSD 5. The most important concern is eighth-grade Science: in 2025–2026, 40% of Challand eighth graders were proficient, compared with 52% statewide and 40% in the district. Challand’s result was below all six nearby schools with reported eighth-grade scores, which ranged from 40% to 60%.

Challand’s clearest strength is all-grade ELA relative to its district, while Math and Science are the main concerns. In 2025–2026, 54% of students were proficient in ELA—4 percentage points above the district’s 51% and close to the state’s 56%—though Challand was 8 points below the average for nearby schools serving grades 6–8. Math proficiency was 30%, below the state’s 40% and the district’s 34%; it was also 2 points below the 31% average among comparable nearby schools. In grade 7 ELA, Challand was particularly low: 48% were proficient, versus 58% statewide.

ELA has improved substantially over three years, rising from 33% in 2023–2024 to 38% in 2024–2025 and 54% in 2025–2026, a 21-point increase. Even so, Challand’s SchoolDigger ranking fell from the 42nd percentile to the 30th over that period, with 2 stars each year; all six nearby schools ranked higher in 2025–2026. Context for families: in 2024–2025, Challand’s student-teacher ratio was 16.5:1, the highest among nearby schools, and 63% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with a nearby-school average of 56%. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness percentile for White Students was notably below Challand’s overall percentile—14 versus 30 in 2025–2026. For English Language Learner Students, the percentile changed sharply, from 87 in 2022–2023 to 40 in 2023–2024 and 58 in 2024–2025.

726

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,539

Per pupil spending ?

62.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.5%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

1700 6th Ave
Sterling, IL 61081-1379

(815) 626-3300

District: Sterling CUSD 5

Students who attend Challand Middle School usually attend:

High:

Sterling High School

Feeder schools for Challand Middle School:

Elementary:	Franklin Elementary School
	Jefferson Elementary School
	Lincoln Elementary School
	Washington Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.8%

Hispanic:

36.0%

Two or more races:

6.2%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Challand Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 34th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (41% vs 49% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 12 pts below the Illinois average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg41%

Illinois avg49%

783^rd of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

491^st of 738Sterling CUSD 5 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	30.4	783 of 1126	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.2	874 of 1368	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	792 of 1363	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.4	701 of 1367	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.7	740 of 1369	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.2	744 of 1241	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.4	839 of 1356	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.2	809 of 1293	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.1	786 of 1293	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.7	853 of 1294	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.6	628 of 1302	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.8	608 of 1322	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	49.7	707 of 1367	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	61.7	582 of 1365	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.6	678 of 1344	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.6	662 of 1327	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.7	557 of 1318	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.4	448 of 1293	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.5	580 of 1287	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.4	609 of 1272	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	61.5	557 of 1209	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	59.7	568 of 1204	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2003	54.2	615 of 1185	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	525 of 694	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.7	393 of 639	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.8	327 of 674	51.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	49.4	203 of 483	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.2	294 of 486	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.6	62 of 480	87.1%	★★★★☆
2022	51.5	133 of 454	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	83.8	3 of 277	98.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	24.8	669 of 867	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.9	839 of 1248	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.7	720 of 1251	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.6	646 of 1275	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.0	681 of 1286	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.8	624 of 1017	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.7	918 of 1276	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	898 of 1226	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	30.5	333 of 483	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.5	413 of 669	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	380 of 643	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	327 of 661	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.4	474 of 662	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.6	386 of 517	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	466 of 639	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	477 of 590	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	30.5	574 of 788	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.4	804 of 1229	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	824 of 1219	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.3	728 of 1234	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	873 of 1221	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.6	684 of 1019	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	820 of 1217	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.8	823 of 1161	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	23.0	653 of 829	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.5	775 of 1271	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.8	761 of 1264	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.1	657 of 1292	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	718 of 1286	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.6	739 of 1048	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.6	701 of 1296	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.7	650 of 1223	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.3	174 of 204	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	134 of 184	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	117 of 194	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.3	113 of 195	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.2	80 of 97	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	155 of 179	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	127 of 164	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	26.4	584 of 812	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.4	600 of 802	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.2	519 of 805	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	588 of 781	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.7	315 of 548	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.4	514 of 792	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.8	314 of 602	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	18.9	645 of 754	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.4	758 of 884	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	689 of 875	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	631 of 895	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	633 of 898	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.3	600 of 813	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	736 of 905	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.6	693 of 889	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)58th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)31st percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)28th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2025)24th percentile-12 vs school

Female (2026)23rd percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)21st percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)15th percentile-21 vs school

White (2026)14th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts54%~ state avg

Science40%-12 vs state

Mathematics30%-10 vs state

2.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, January 28, 2023

The teachers are great but school administration, not so much. They encourage students to come to school sick and penalize them if they don't. The student wellbeing is not a top priority. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, December 4, 2019

There are very few teachers that care how well the kids succeed at this school. The school has no resources to help kids that are struggling in their classes, other than the help from the teacher whenever they are available, if they are even willing to help them. The teachers constantly blame the children that don’t understand how to complete the homework or fail a test, by telling them they are not trying. When they clearly don’t understand. Teachers have been mean to children that need extra time to finish a test or come in before or after school for help. When the teachers also state they must not be trying. The teachers say inappropriate things to the children. For example: Complaining about working and not getting time off since they have to make up for snow days. Talking bad about other children in front of students. Making racial comments to the entire class. As to how hard it is to be a specific race.
The majority of the teachers favor the “popular kids” or “rich kids”. Its bad enough to be bullied but the teachers seem to be bullies themselves. I am sad to say I sent my child there. I learned the hard way. No wonder why this school is ranked so low in the state and the nation. Close Quote

Schools Near Challand 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 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th 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 5th Grade	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
Challand Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 6th Ave	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	No	(815) 626-3300	726	44	16.5	62.8%	398 (54.8%)	13 (1.8%)	261 (36.0%)	6 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.2%)	30.4	783^rd of 1126 public middle schools	30.5%		34.2	874^th of 1368 public middle schools	36.1%	91		39.6		52.3	48.3	61.5	54.1		29.1	31.0	28.6	29.6	97.5%		$15,539	$1,059	$14,480
Rock Falls Middle School	Public	6-8	1701 12th Ave	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	Rock Falls Education Service District 13	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 626-2626	246	22	11.3	75.2%	137 (55.7%)	8 (3.3%)	86 (35.0%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.5%)	37	702^nd of 1126 public middle schools	37.7%		60.4	482^nd of 1368 public middle schools	64.8%	220		47.9		44.6	54.4	79.5	58.2		19.4	29.1	35.6	27.3	96.6%		$17,272	$1,186	$16,086
Reagan Middle School	Public	6-8	620 Division St	Dixon	61021	Lee County	Dixon Unified School District 170	No	(n/a)	No	No	(815) 253-4966	585	37	15.8	55.0%	468 (80.0%)	20 (3.4%)	36 (6.2%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (9.7%)	37.2	698^th of 1126 public middle schools	38.0%		49.8	625^th of 1368 public middle schools	54.3%	73		51.0		52.1	49.2	58.9	53.5		32.7	37.8	33.9	34.9	98.2%		$18,483	$1,768	$16,715
Aplington Middle School	Public	6-8	610 E Mason St	Polo	61064	Ogle County	Polo CUSD 222	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 946-2519	114	9	12.7	48.2%	102 (89.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)	37.1	699^th of 1126 public middle schools	37.9%		47.3	663^rd of 1368 public middle schools	51.5%	36		60.0		41.7	45.5	64.0	48.6		30.6	36.4		30.5	97.3%		$15,211	$1,052	$14,159
Morrison Junior High School	Public	6-8	300 Academic Dr	Morrison	61270	Whiteside County	Morrison CUSD 6	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 772-7264	215	14	15.3	37.2%	190 (88.4%)	2 (0.9%)	18 (8.4%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	53.3	482^nd of 1126 public middle schools	57.2%		48.9	639^th of 1368 public middle schools	53.3%	157		49.2		74.6	67.5	65.6	69.3		35.2	46.3	34.4	39.2	98.6%		$12,410	$1,113	$11,297
PLT Middle School	Public	6-8	38 Ferry St	Prophetstown	61277	Whiteside County	Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico CUSD3	No	(n/a)	No	No	(815) 537-5084	148	13	11.2	70.9%	130 (87.8%)	1 (0.7%)	7 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.1%)	53.1	487^th of 1126 public middle schools	56.7%		65.6	419^th of 1368 public middle schools	69.4%	68		56.6		84.8	68.1	88.7	80.8		28.3	29.8	18.9	25.3	97.3%		$16,089	$717	$15,372
Amboy Junior High School	Public	5-8	240 N Metcalf Ave	Amboy	61310	Lee County	Amboy CUSD 272	No	(n/a)	No	No	(815) 857-3528	210	18	12.0	47.1%	185 (88.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	53.2	485^th of 1126 public middle schools	56.9%		45.9	680^th of 1368 public middle schools	50.3%	195	54.1	40.0	62.2	63.8	59.6	78.0	66.0	32.4	41.4	57.7	32.0	41.6	100%		$17,184	$131	$17,053

Frequently Asked Questions about Challand Middle School

How many students attend Challand Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 726 students attended Challand Middle School.

Is Challand Middle School a good school?

Challand Middle School ranks 783^rd of 1126 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Challand Middle School attend?

Students who attend Challand Middle School usually go on to attend Sterling High School

What district is Challand Middle School in?

Sterling CUSD 5

What is the racial makeup of Challand Middle School?

Students at Challand Middle School are 55% White, 36% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Rate Challand Middle School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataOct 30, 2026

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

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 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.