Hamilton County CUSD 10

The Hamilton County CUSD 10 district in Illinois serves students from preschool through 12th grade across 3 schools: 2 elementary schools and 1 junior/senior high school. While the elementary schools, particularly East Side Elementary, demonstrate strong academic performance, the Hamilton County Junior/Senior High School faces challenges in several areas.

East Side Elementary stands out as a top-performing school, ranking in the top 25% of Illinois elementary schools and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school outperforms district and state averages in English Language Arts and Math, with particularly strong results in 6th grade ELA and science. Dahlgren Elementary also performs well, with high proficiency in 5th grade ELA and science. In contrast, the high school struggles with low proficiency rates on the SAT, with only about 5% and 8% of students scoring proficient or better in Math and ELA, respectively.

Attendance issues appear to be a significant concern, with the high school reporting a 29.8% chronic absenteeism rate, much higher than the elementary schools. This may be contributing to the lower academic outcomes at the secondary level. The district's consistent spending per student across schools suggests an effort to allocate resources equitably, but the performance gaps indicate a need to further analyze how resources are being utilized and targeted to address specific needs at each school. Fostering collaboration and sharing best practices between the elementary and secondary levels could be a key strategy to improve overall district performance.