Pekin Central School District 303

Pekin Central School District 303 in Illinois has only one high school, Pekin Community High School, which serves students in grades 9-12. The school's performance has been mixed, with a statewide ranking that has fluctuated in recent years, ranging from 248th out of 699 Illinois high schools in 2022-2023 to 339th out of 697 in 2023-2024. While the school has a relatively high four-year graduation rate of 95.1%, it also has a concerning dropout rate of 1.1% and a chronic absenteeism rate of 40.2%.

Academically, Pekin Community High School is underperforming compared to other schools in the state. Its proficiency rates in SAT Mathematics (16.8%) and SAT English Language Arts (23.8%) are significantly lower than the state averages of 26.1% and 31.1%, respectively. The school's proficiency rate in ISA Science (43.4%) is also lower than the state average of 53.2%. These academic performance metrics suggest that the school is struggling to meet the educational needs of its students.

Socioeconomic factors may be contributing to the school's challenges, as nearly half (48.22%) of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a higher proportion of students from low-income families. The school's per-student spending is in line with the state average, but its student-teacher ratio of 16.1 is slightly higher than the state average. Pekin Central School District 303 and the administration of Pekin Community High School should focus on addressing these areas of concern to improve student outcomes and ensure that all students have access to a quality education.