Is Prairie Central High School a good school?

Prairie Central High School ranks 265 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Prairie Central High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 516 students attended Prairie Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Prairie Central High School?

Students at Prairie Central High School are 87% White, 8% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools feed into Prairie Central High School?

Prairie Central High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Prairie Central Elementary School Elementary : Prairie Central Primary East Elementary : Prairie Central Primary West Middle : Prairie Central Junior High School Middle : Prairie Central Upper Elementary

Prairie Central High School

Summary:

Prairie Central High School is a public high school located in Fairbury, Illinois, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 516 students. The school is part of the Prairie Central CUSD 8 district, which is ranked 466 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Prairie Central High School has consistently ranked in the top half of Illinois high schools, ranging from 134th to 327th out of 600-700 schools over the past 10 years, and has maintained a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade. However, the school's performance has been mixed, with female students outperforming their male counterparts, and Hispanic students ranking higher than White students in recent years. Students with disabilities and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds have struggled, with their rankings in the bottom half of Illinois high schools. The school's proficiency rates in SAT Mathematics and English Language Arts have been consistently below the state averages, but its performance in the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) has been stronger, with proficiency rates around 50-70%, often exceeding the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, Lexington High School and Tri-Point High School have consistently outperformed Prairie Central High School in terms of statewide ranking, academic achievement, and graduation rates. However, Ridgeview High School has struggled more than Prairie Central High School, while Pontiac High School has performed similarly. The school's per-student spending and student-teacher ratio are generally in line with the nearby schools, suggesting that resource allocation may not be a significant factor in the school's performance. The sharp increase in chronic absenteeism at Prairie Central High School is a concerning trend that may be impacting the school's academic performance and other outcomes.

Detail:

Public 9-12

411 N 7th St
Fairbury, IL 61739-1340

(815) 692-2355

District: Prairie Central CUSD 8

SchoolDigger Rank:
265^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,334

Feeder schools for Prairie Central High School:

Elementary:	Prairie Central Elementary School
	Prairie Central Primary East
	Prairie Central Primary West
Middle:	Prairie Central Junior High School
	Prairie Central Upper Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 12.0

Number of students: 516

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.2%

Hispanic:

8.1%

Two or more races:

2.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 35.9%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Prairie Central High School ranks better than 62% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 54.68. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Prairie Central High School freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Prairie Central High School is $16,334.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Prairie Central High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Prairie Central High School 265^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Prairie Central High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Prairie Central CUSD 8:

SchoolDigger ranks Prairie Central CUSD 8 466^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Prairie Central High School

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Rank History for all students at Prairie Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	65.45	199^th	586	66.0%
2004	78.61	97^th	592	83.6%
2005	64.96	214^th	590	63.7%
2006	57.93	279^th	596	53.2%
2007	71.75	170^th	612	72.2%
2008	59.93	280^th	624	55.1%
2009	60.24	275^th	632	56.5%
2010	81.58	93^rd	643	85.5%
2011	72.57	189^th	655	71.1%
2012	65.26	229^th	665	65.6%
2013	70.67	200^th	670	70.1%
2014	73.12	164^th	670	75.5%
2015	95.66	18^th	614	97.1%
2016	83.77	34^th	643	94.7%
2017	71.11	145^th	642	77.4%
2018	74.22	134^th	647	79.3%
2019	62.76	215^th	701	69.3%
2021	46.83	327^th	688	52.5%
2022	61.69	240^th	699	65.7%
2023	61.21	232^nd	699	66.8%
2024	54.68	265^th	697	62.0%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Prairie Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	85.14	33^rd	374	91.2%
2019	29.55	306^th	473	35.3%
2021	46.80	161^st	453	64.5%
2022	31.21	286^th	493	42.0%
2023	34.88	258^th	476	45.8%
2024	25.24	350^th	482	27.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Prairie Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	59.51	196^th	585	66.5%
2019	60.45	192^nd	639	70.0%
2021	37.90	367^th	611	39.9%
2022	42.08	363^rd	626	42.0%
2023	56.70	228^th	644	64.6%
2024	34.81	397^th	639	37.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Prairie Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	59.74	227^th	620	63.4%
2019	70.54	170^th	665	74.4%
2021	43.73	338^th	639	47.1%
2022	58.29	258^th	658	60.8%
2023	67.08	178^th	656	72.9%
2024	58.59	224^th	664	66.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Prairie Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	70.05	68^th	428	84.1%
2024	27.00	261^st	429	39.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Prairie Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	80.38	99^th	619	84.0%
2019	49.61	319^th	675	52.7%
2021	46.60	314^th	653	51.9%
2022	62.15	212^th	664	68.1%
2023	53.56	279^th	668	58.2%
2024	48.84	306^th	668	54.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Prairie Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	31.55	228^th	333	31.5%
2024	40.78	174^th	336	48.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Prairie Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	62.32	170^th	548	69.0%
2019	48.57	237^th	552	57.1%
2021	30.34	370^th	553	33.1%
2022	48.66	268^th	560	52.1%
2023	48.04	261^st	557	53.1%
2024	41.93	280^th	554	49.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Prairie Central High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	481	1	6	10	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	498
1989	462	1	5	9	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	477
1990	472	1	4	9	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	486
1991	502	1	2	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	519
1992	512	0	1	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	524
1993	537	0	1	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	548
1994	534	0	1	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	546
1995	584	2	0	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	600
1996	584	2	0	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	600
1997	596	3	0	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	611
1998	608	3	0	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	626
1999	617	3	2	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	635
2000	642	4	2	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	662
2001	642	6	3	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	667
2002	616	10	2	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	644
2003	616	10	2	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	644
2004	587	2	2	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	605
2005	691	7	4	20	0	n/a	n/a	0	722
2006	665	3	4	25	2	n/a	n/a	0	699
2007	661	3	2	22	0	n/a	n/a	3	691
2008	624	3	2	22	0	n/a	n/a	8	659
2009	633	2	4	18	0	n/a	n/a	11	668
2010	585	4	1	11	0	n/a	n/a	17	618
2011	587	6	1	10	0	0	19	0	623
2012	565	4	3	9	0	0	25	0	606
2013	562	5	2	15	0	0	23	0	607
2014	567	5	3	17	0	0	22	0	614
2015	575	8	3	16	1	0	23	0	626
2016	542	9	2	22	0	0	19	0	594
2017	516	6	1	22	0	0	24	0	569
2018	513	4	3	15	0	1	27	0	563
2019	482	4	3	13	0	1	27	0	530
2020	477	10	2	14	3	0	20	0	526
2021	511	11	5	21	1	0	20	0	569
2022	481	9	3	30	0	0	14	0	537
2023	450	9	4	42	0	0	11	0	516

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Prairie Central High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	498	32.0	15.5	n/a
1989	477	33.0	14.4	n/a
1990	486	34.0	14.2	n/a
1991	519	35.5	14.6	n/a
1992	524	36.7	14.2	n/a
1993	548	37.2	14.7	n/a
1994	546	35.6	15.3	n/a
1995	600	40.2	14.9	n/a
1996	600	40.2	14.9	n/a
1997	611	41.2	14.8	n/a
1998	626	41.7	15.0	n/a
1999	635	42.8	14.8	n/a
2000	662	46.8	14.1	n/a
2001	667	47.1	14.2	n/a
2002	644	46.3	13.9	17.9
2003	644	46.3	13.9	17.9
2004	605	44.5	13.6	19.5
2005	722	48.5	14.9	22.3
2006	699	49.8	14.0	19.2
2007	691	46.0	15.0	27.9
2008	659	42.0	15.7	28.4
2009	668	52.1	12.8	32.9
2010	618	50.0	12.3	37.9
2011	623	50.6	12.2	35
2012	606	47.6	12.7	30.5
2013	607	n/a	n/a	40.9
2014	614	47.5	12.9	38.1
2015	626	48.0	13.0	37.7
2016	594	45.0	13.2	33.8
2017	569	40.6	13.9	34.4
2018	563	39.7	14.1	35.2
2019	530	41.2	12.8	29.6
2020	526	40.0	13.1	31.9
2021	569	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	537	41.8	12.8	32.2
2023	516	42.9	12.0	35.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Prairie Central High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	498	32.0	15.5	n/a
1989	477	33.0	14.4	n/a
1990	486	34.0	14.2	n/a
1991	519	35.5	14.6	n/a
1992	524	36.7	14.2	n/a
1993	548	37.2	14.7	n/a
1994	546	35.6	15.3	n/a
1995	600	40.2	14.9	n/a
1996	600	40.2	14.9	n/a
1997	611	41.2	14.8	n/a
1998	626	41.7	15.0	n/a
1999	635	42.8	14.8	n/a
2000	662	46.8	14.1	n/a
2001	667	47.1	14.2	n/a
2002	644	46.3	13.9	17.9
2003	644	46.3	13.9	17.9
2004	605	44.5	13.6	19.5
2005	722	48.5	14.9	22.3
2006	699	49.8	14.0	19.2
2007	691	46.0	15.0	27.9
2008	659	42.0	15.7	28.4
2009	668	52.1	12.8	32.9
2010	618	50.0	12.3	37.9
2011	623	50.6	12.2	35
2012	606	47.6	12.7	30.5
2013	607	n/a	n/a	40.9
2014	614	47.5	12.9	38.1
2015	626	48.0	13.0	37.7
2016	594	45.0	13.2	33.8
2017	569	40.6	13.9	34.4
2018	563	39.7	14.1	35.2
2019	530	41.2	12.8	29.6
2020	526	40.0	13.1	31.9
2021	569	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	537	41.8	12.8	32.2
2023	516	42.9	12.0	35.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Immunization Rates