Is Gillespie Middle School a good school?

Gillespie Middle School ranks 581 st of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Gillespie Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 248 students attended Gillespie Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Gillespie Middle School?

Students at Gillespie Middle School are 96% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Gillespie Middle School attend?

Students who attend Gillespie Middle School usually go on to attend Gillespie High School

Gillespie Middle School

Summary:

Gillespie Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Gillespie, Illinois, with 248 students. The school is part of the Gillespie CUSD 7 district, which is ranked 487 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Gillespie Middle School has maintained a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years, with a slight dip to 2 stars in the 2020-2021 school year.

Gillespie Middle School faces several key challenges, including high chronic absenteeism, which has risen from 11.3% in 2019-2020 to 26.6% in 2023-2024, notably higher than the state average. The school's test scores are generally below the state and district averages across all subjects and grade levels, with proficiency rates in ELA and Math at 36% and 31.2%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 41.2% and 28.4%. Additionally, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with the school struggling with White students and students with disabilities, ranking in the bottom half of Illinois middle schools for these subgroups.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Carlinville Middle School and Litchfield Middle School, Gillespie Middle School generally performs worse on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism. The school's declining performance compared to both state and local benchmarks suggests the need for a comprehensive review and implementation of targeted interventions to address these issues and improve student outcomes.

Detail:

Public 6-8

412 Oregon St
Gillespie, IL 62033-1174

(217) 839-2116

District: Gillespie CUSD 7

SchoolDigger Rank:
581^st of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,410

Students who attend Gillespie Middle School usually attend:

High:

Gillespie High School

Feeder schools for Gillespie Middle School:

Elementary:

Ben-Gil Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.9

Number of students: 248

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.4%

African American:

1.2%

Two or more races:

1.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 99.6%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Gillespie Middle School ranks better than 57.4% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 51.43. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gillespie Middle School is $12,410.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Gillespie Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Gillespie Middle School 581^st of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Gillespie Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

White students:

Gillespie CUSD 7:

SchoolDigger ranks Gillespie CUSD 7 487^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Gillespie Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Gillespie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	33.43	842^nd	1185	28.9%
2004	42.73	769^th	1204	36.1%
2005	51.76	691^st	1209	42.8%
2006	50.49	745^th	1272	41.4%
2007	57.85	631^st	1287	51.0%
2008	58.72	641^st	1293	50.4%
2009	55.02	703^rd	1318	46.7%
2010	30.38	1019^th	1327	23.2%
2011	30.56	1049^th	1344	21.9%
2012	49.98	797^th	1365	41.6%
2013	49.65	708^th	1367	48.2%
2014	53.29	639^th	1322	51.7%
2015	44.57	630^th	1302	51.6%
2016	67.20	347^th	1294	73.2%
2017	64.86	387^th	1293	70.1%
2018	61.43	437^th	1293	66.2%
2019	52.27	593^rd	1356	56.3%
2021	35.11	724^th	1241	41.7%
2022	50.68	585^th	1369	57.3%
2023	52.85	553^rd	1367	59.5%
2024	51.43	581^st	1363	57.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Gillespie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	25.00	478^th	602	20.6%
2019	40.06	388^th	792	51.0%
2021	31.13	395^th	548	27.9%
2022	38.77	410^th	781	47.5%
2023	35.38	463^rd	805	42.5%
2024	30.53	536^th	802	33.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gillespie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	62.74	319^th	1161	72.5%
2019	57.79	414^th	1217	66.0%
2021	52.23	386^th	1019	62.1%
2022	68.87	245^th	1221	79.9%
2023	70.61	227^th	1234	81.6%
2024	56.58	423^rd	1219	65.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Gillespie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	62.28	412^th	1226	66.4%
2019	52.40	557^th	1276	56.3%
2021	38.92	568^th	1017	44.1%
2022	46.21	611^th	1286	52.5%
2023	52.62	516^th	1275	59.5%
2024	55.11	480^th	1251	61.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Gillespie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	54.79	207^th	674	69.3%
2024	47.27	249^th	639	61.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Gillespie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	56.62	467^th	1223	61.8%
2019	53.42	534^th	1296	58.8%
2021	29.84	723^rd	1048	31.0%
2022	53.59	501^st	1286	61.0%
2023	52.00	534^th	1292	58.7%
2024	46.93	589^th	1264	53.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Gillespie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	47.84	442^nd	889	50.3%
2019	33.84	606^th	905	33.0%
2021	18.42	706^th	813	13.2%
2022	30.40	639^th	898	28.8%
2023	36.50	568^th	895	36.5%
2024	32.90	595^th	875	32.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Gillespie Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1994	430	2	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	433
1995	482	1	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	487
1996	482	1	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	487
1997	447	2	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	450
1998	443	3	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	446
1999	450	1	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	451
2000	386	0	0	0	2	n/a	n/a	0	388
2001	389	1	0	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	395
2002	276	1	0	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	282
2003	276	1	0	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	282
2004	317	2	0	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	324
2005	318	1	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	325
2006	290	2	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	296
2007	280	2	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	1	287
2008	292	3	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	1	297
2009	270	2	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	2	275
2010	282	4	0	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	288
2011	281	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	287
2012	284	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	288
2013	273	0	0	1	2	0	4	0	280
2014	268	1	0	1	2	0	4	0	276
2015	283	2	0	1	2	0	8	0	296
2016	299	0	0	1	1	0	6	0	307
2017	287	2	0	1	1	0	8	0	299
2018	267	0	0	2	3	0	8	0	280
2019	257	0	1	6	2	0	14	0	280
2020	283	0	1	6	2	0	9	0	301
2021	254	0	2	6	0	1	8	0	271
2022	249	4	0	4	1	1	4	0	263
2023	239	3	0	2	0	1	3	0	248

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Gillespie Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1994	433	22.5	19.2	n/a
1995	487	24.5	19.9	n/a
1996	487	24.5	19.9	n/a
1997	450	24.9	18.1	n/a
1998	446	25.8	17.3	n/a
1999	451	27.8	16.2	n/a
2000	388	29.0	13.4	n/a
2001	395	28.5	13.9	n/a
2002	282	24.5	11.5	46.1
2003	282	24.5	11.5	46.1
2004	324	20.0	16.2	48.8
2005	325	20.0	16.3	46.8
2006	296	22.0	13.5	44.6
2007	287	15.0	19.1	46.9
2008	297	15.0	19.8	48.6
2009	275	17.0	16.2	48
2010	288	16.0	18.0	53.1
2011	287	15.0	19.1	82.9
2012	288	16.0	18.0	99
2013	280	21.4	13.0	98.9
2014	276	17.0	16.2	98.9
2015	296	17.0	17.4	98.3
2016	307	16.0	19.1	57.7
2017	299	16.7	17.8	59.5
2018	280	14.9	18.7	58.6
2019	280	14.8	18.9	59.3
2020	301	16.8	17.9	n/a
2021	271	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	263	18.8	13.9	98.9
2023	248	17.8	13.9	99.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Gillespie Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1994	433	22.5	19.2	n/a
1995	487	24.5	19.9	n/a
1996	487	24.5	19.9	n/a
1997	450	24.9	18.1	n/a
1998	446	25.8	17.3	n/a
1999	451	27.8	16.2	n/a
2000	388	29.0	13.4	n/a
2001	395	28.5	13.9	n/a
2002	282	24.5	11.5	46.1
2003	282	24.5	11.5	46.1
2004	324	20.0	16.2	48.8
2005	325	20.0	16.3	46.8
2006	296	22.0	13.5	44.6
2007	287	15.0	19.1	46.9
2008	297	15.0	19.8	48.6
2009	275	17.0	16.2	48
2010	288	16.0	18.0	53.1
2011	287	15.0	19.1	82.9
2012	288	16.0	18.0	99
2013	280	21.4	13.0	98.9
2014	276	17.0	16.2	98.9
2015	296	17.0	17.4	98.3
2016	307	16.0	19.1	57.7
2017	299	16.7	17.8	59.5
2018	280	14.9	18.7	58.6
2019	280	14.8	18.9	59.3
2020	301	16.8	17.9	n/a
2021	271	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	263	18.8	13.9	98.9
2023	248	17.8	13.9	99.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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