Best Public Schools in Forrest, IL

The city of Forrest, Illinois is home to two middle schools: Prairie Central Upper Elementary and Prairie Central Junior High School, both part of the Prairie Central CUSD 8 district. Based on the available data, Prairie Central Upper Elementary emerges as the standout school, outperforming the district and state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science proficiency.

Prairie Central Upper Elementary boasts higher test scores, with 60.6% of students proficient or better in ELA and 73.3% in Science, compared to the district and state averages. Additionally, the school has a lower chronic absenteeism rate of 19.3%, compared to 22.0% at Prairie Central Junior High School. While Prairie Central Junior High School spends more per student at $14,782, Prairie Central Upper Elementary appears to be more efficiently allocating its resources, as evidenced by its stronger academic performance.

However, the data also reveals areas for improvement, such as the consistent performance decline at Prairie Central Junior High School and the disparity in ELA and Math proficiency across both schools. The higher free/reduced lunch rate at Prairie Central Upper Elementary may suggest socioeconomic factors that could impact academic performance, but the school's strong test scores indicate it is effectively serving its students despite these challenges.