Summary:
The city of Benton, Illinois is home to 3 public schools serving students from elementary through high school: Benton Grade School K-4, Benton Cons High School, and Benton Grade School 5-8. These schools are part of the Benton CCSD 47 and Benton Cons HSD 103 districts.
Among the three schools, Benton Grade School 5-8 stands out as the strongest performer, with high proficiency rates in English Language Arts (40.3%) and Science (58.1%) that exceed district and state averages. The school's 8th-grade ELA proficiency rate of 54.5% is significantly higher than the district (37.4%) and state (49.9%) averages. Benton Cons High School also performs relatively well, with a 4-year graduation rate of 83.7% that is above the state average, though its SAT proficiency rates in both Math (20.5%) and ELA (28.3%) lag behind the state. In contrast, Benton Grade School K-4 has lower-than-average proficiency rates in both ELA (31.6%) and Math (21.4%).
Across the district, there are some areas of concern, such as high chronic absenteeism rates, particularly at the high school level (42.7%), and significant proportions of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 54.59% at Benton Cons High School to 62.88% at Benton Grade School K-4. These socioeconomic challenges may be contributing to the academic performance gaps observed. By addressing these issues and building on the strengths of the higher-performing schools, the Benton school district can work to drive improvements and ensure all students have access to a quality education.
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