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Challand Middle School

Q: Is Challand Middle School a good school?

Challand Middle School ranks 874 th of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

874^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,368 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 36% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Challand Middle School is a public middle school located in Sterling, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 718 students. The school is part of the Sterling CUSD 5 district, which is ranked 483 out of 811 districts in Illinois and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Challand Middle School consistently performs below the state average in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 37.9% compared to the state average of 53.1%, and its Mathematics proficiency rate was 26% compared to the state average of 38.5%. The school also has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.7% to 26.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Challand Middle School's spending per student has increased over the years, from $9,807 in 2020-2021 to $13,355 in 2023-2024, but it remains below the state average.

Compared to nearby middle schools, such as Amboy Junior High School, PLT Middle School, Aplington Middle School, Morrison Junior High School, and Reagan Middle School, Challand Middle School's performance is generally lower, with these schools tending to have higher academic proficiency rates, lower chronic absenteeism, and better overall rankings. Challand Middle School's statewide ranking has also steadily declined over the years, from 628 out of 1,302 Illinois middle schools in 2014-2015 to 874 out of 1,368 in 2024-2025, indicating a concerning trend of declining academic performance.

726

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,868

Per pupil spending ?

62.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2015 → 36th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (31% vs 46% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg35%

Illinois avg46%

874^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 48% (2015) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

483^rd of 811Sterling 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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Male (2025)39th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)38th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile~ school

Female (2025)33rd percentile-3 vs school

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

Disabled (2025)24th percentile-12 vs school

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

White (2025)14th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts38%-15 vs state

Science28%-17 vs state

Mathematics26%-12 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

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)		IAR English Language Arts (2025)					IAR Mathematics (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	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	% 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
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%)	34.2	874^th of 1368 public middle schools	36.1%		37	792^nd of 1363 public middle schools	41.9%	82		28.1		39.1	34.9	40.0	37.9		23.8	27.9	26.1	26.0	98.8	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.9	99.2	94.6	$13,868	$568	$13,300
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%)	60.4	482^nd of 1368 public middle schools	64.8%		66.7	385^th of 1363 public middle schools	71.8%	97		40.6		52.9	58.7	71.6	60.4		27.1	34.7	40.3	33.5	96.3	97.1	97.1	97.1	96.7	97.1	96.3	96.3	$18,111	$1,370	$16,740
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%)	49.8	625^th of 1368 public middle schools	54.3%		43.2	701^st of 1363 public middle schools	48.6%	76		47.0		42.2	60.3	53.5	51.9		25.7	29.3	25.5	26.8	96.3	96.3	96.3	96.3	96.3	96.3	96.3	96.3	$16,865	$827	$16,038
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%)	47.3	663^rd of 1368 public middle schools	51.5%		59.1	461^st of 1363 public middle schools	66.2%	202		40.5		36.4	57.1	70.3	53.2		22.7	28.6	18.9	22.9	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	92.2	$13,093	$1,197	$11,897
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%)	48.9	639^th of 1368 public middle schools	53.3%		60.9	437^th of 1363 public middle schools	67.9%	202		35.3		46.2	37.1	50.7	44.9		35.9	45.2	28.4	36.2	99.1	99.1	99.1	99.1	100.0	99.1	99.1	93.2	$12,139	$620	$11,520
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%)	65.6	419^th of 1368 public middle schools	69.4%		79.3	233^rd of 1363 public middle schools	82.9%	186		61.4		71.1	78.9	86.7	78.9		17.4	24.6	24.4	22.3	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	98.8	98.8	98.8	94.7	$15,166	$1,644	$13,523
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%)	45.9	680^th of 1368 public middle schools	50.3%		37.7	783^rd of 1363 public middle schools	42.6%	103	42.1	18.6	52.6	50.9	42.9	55.8	50.5	42.1	37.7	42.9	16.3	35.6	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	$16,483	$308	$16,175

Frequently Asked Questions about Challand Middle School

What high school do graduates of Challand Middle School attend?

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

Is Challand Middle School a good school?

Challand Middle School ranks 874^th of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 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.

What district is Challand Middle School in?

Sterling CUSD 5

How many students attend Challand Middle School?

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

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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.