Best Middle Schools in Champaign, IL

The city of Champaign, Illinois is home to three middle schools serving grades 6-8: Jefferson Middle School, Edison Middle School, and Franklin Middle School. While all three schools face challenges in academic performance compared to state averages, Edison Middle School stands out as the highest-performing, with stronger test scores, lower chronic absenteeism, and a more economically advantaged student population.

Edison Middle School ranks in the top half of Illinois middle schools and has the best academic outcomes across the board, with 38.4% of 6th graders proficient in ELA compared to just 13.7% at Jefferson and 14.6% at Franklin. However, all three schools, as well as the overall Champaign CUSD 4 district, underperform state averages in academic achievement.

The data also reveals significant socioeconomic disparities, with Edison Middle School serving a more affluent student population and Jefferson and Franklin having higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students. This likely contributes to the achievement gaps observed. Additionally, all three schools face high chronic absenteeism rates, which is a concern that may impact student learning.