District 113 Test Scores Show More Students In Highest, Lowest Groups

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The share of students in Township High School District 113 who exceeded state standards increased year, but so did the proportion who only partially meet proficiency standards, according to newly released data from state education officials.

The Illinois State Board of Education on Thursday released its report cards for for public school districts across the state, with information about academic performance, teachers, students, administrators and school environment.

Compared to 2021, the percentage of District 113 students who met or exceeded state standards in English ticked down by 1.5 percentage points, while the proportion at or above math standards ticked up by nearly a half-point.

The report cards include the last five years of SAT test results, with 2020 excluded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2017, nearly 75 percent of 11th grade students at Deerfield and Highland Park high schools met or exceeded state standards in English and more than 68 percent met state math standards.

By 2022, that had fallen to 61.8 percent of District 113 students at or above state standards in English and 59.5 percent in math.

From 2021 to 2022, the proportion of juniors who exceeded standards rose from 29.2 percent to 31.9 percent in English and from 20.9 percent to 22.4 percent in math.

But just as the share of the highest achieving group increased, so did that of the lowest achievers, according to the district's report card data.

The proportion of students at the "partially meets" performance level, the lowest reflected in the data, increased from 9.9 percent in 2021 to 14.7 percent last year in English and from 16.1 percent to 19.8 percent in math.

The share of students testing in the lowest achievement level has increased in each of the four recent years where data is available.

Test scores at Deerfield and Highland Park high schools are still better than the state average. Last year, just 29.8 percent of students met or exceeded English standards and just 28.8 percent met math proficiency standards.

The two-school district has about 3,220 students, spending more than $29,200 per student per year at Highland Park High School and more than $31,700 per Deerfield High School student last year, according to the state data.

The per-pupil expenses are higher at DHS because fixed costs are spread out over fewer students in Deerfield, according to district officials.

There is one District 113 administrator for every 75 students, compared to a state average of hiring over administrator for every 147 students.

Compared to neighboring North Shore district, the district's pupil-to-administrator ratio is similar that of Lake Forest High School but significantly lower than New Trier High School, where there area 214 students per administrative hire.

The student-to-teacher ratio in both Township High School District 113 and Lake Forest Community High School District 115 is 14:1, while New Trier has one teacher per 13 students. The state average is a 18 students per teacher.

Read more:
Township High School District 113 2022 Illinois Report Card
Highland Park High School 2022 Illinois Report Card
Deerfield High School 2022 Illinois Report Card