Summary:
Palos Heights School District 128 in Illinois is home to a single standout middle school, Independence Junior High School. This school has consistently ranked in the top 20% of Illinois middle schools over the past 3 years, with strong academic performance that exceeds both district and state averages in English Language Arts and Science. With a low student-teacher ratio of 11.2, the school appears to be effectively allocating resources to support student learning and achievement.
Independence Junior High School's proficiency rates in ELA and Science are significantly higher than the Palos Heights School District 128 and Illinois state averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 78.7% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 61.4% for the district and 41.2% for the state. While the school's mathematics proficiency rates are also above the state average, they are lower than its ELA and Science performance, suggesting an area for potential improvement.
With 224 students enrolled and a higher-than-average spending of $16,681 per student, Independence Junior High School appears to be a well-resourced and efficiently managed middle school. However, the lack of data on the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch makes it difficult to assess the school's equity and access for students from lower-income backgrounds, an important consideration for parents and the community.
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