Summary:
The 62501 zip code is home to two schools, Argenta-Oreana High School and Argenta-Oreana Middle School, both part of the Argenta-Oreana CUSD 1 district. While the middle school has maintained a consistent statewide ranking, the high school has seen a decline in its performance, dropping from 344 out of 698 Illinois high schools in 2024-2025 to 534 out of 699 in 2022-2023.
Argenta-Oreana High School has a graduation rate of 89.0%, slightly below the state average, and a high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4%. The school's test scores are generally below the state averages, with only 36.8% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in ACT/English Language Arts, 23.5% in ACT/Mathematics, and 32.4% in ACT/Science. In contrast, Argenta-Oreana Middle School's English Language Arts proficiency rates are close to or above the state averages, but its Mathematics proficiency rates are significantly lower, with only 28.2% of all grades proficient or better.
Both schools serve a population with significant socioeconomic challenges, as indicated by the high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (56.52% at the high school and 60.11% at the middle school). Despite the relatively high spending per student ($13,286 at the high school and $12,767 at the middle school), the data suggests that addressing the declining performance at the high school, the disparity in mathematics proficiency, and the high chronic absenteeism rates could be important focus areas for the district to improve student outcomes and ensure equitable educational opportunities.
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