Polo CUSD 222

The Polo CUSD 222 district in Illinois serves students from three schools: Centennial Elementary School, Polo Community High School, and Aplington Middle School. The district serves a predominantly white student population, with a significant percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economic challenges in the community.

Centennial Elementary School stands out as the top-performing school in the district, ranking 552 out of 2,077 Illinois elementary schools and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school outperforms the district and state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency, and its students excel in Science, with 75% proficient or better compared to the state average of 52.4%. In contrast, Polo Community High School has room for improvement, with its SAT scores in Mathematics and English Language Arts falling below the state averages.

Attendance and engagement also vary across the district, with Polo Community High School having a higher chronic absenteeism rate of 17.4% compared to the elementary and middle schools, which have rates of 8.7% and 9.9%, respectively. This suggests a need to address student engagement and attendance issues at the high school level. Overall, the Polo CUSD 222 district has opportunities to build on the strengths of Centennial Elementary School and address the challenges faced by the high school and district-wide equity concerns.