Summary:
The 61462 zip code area is home to two middle schools: Central Intermediate School and United Junior High School. While both schools serve students in grades 6-8, the data suggests a notable performance gap between the two, with United Junior High School emerging as the stronger performer.
United Junior High School appears to be the standout, ranking 591 out of 1,363 Illinois middle schools and earning a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school outperforms the state and its own United CUSD 304 district on English Language Arts test scores, with 54.6% of students proficient or better compared to 41.2% statewide. While its math scores are still below the state average, they are stronger than the district's.
In contrast, Central Intermediate School appears to face more challenges, with lower test scores compared to state averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 35% of students were proficient or better in ELA and 25.1% in math, well below the Illinois state averages of 53.1% and 38.5% respectively. The school also had a high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4%. These factors, along with a higher free/reduced lunch rate of 70.2%, suggest that socioeconomic factors may play a role in the school's performance.
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