Is Benjamin Middle School a good school?

Benjamin Middle School ranks 187 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Benjamin Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 250 students attended Benjamin Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Benjamin Middle School?

Students at Benjamin Middle School are 57% White, 22% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 6% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Benjamin Middle School attend?

Students who attend Benjamin Middle School usually go on to attend West Chicago Community High School

Benjamin Middle School

Summary:

Benjamin Middle School is a public middle school located in West Chicago, Illinois, serving 250 students in grades 5-8. The school is part of the Benjamin School District 25, which is ranked 176 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Benjamin Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Illinois, with a statewide ranking between 95-207 over the past several years. The school's performance on state assessments is significantly higher than the state averages across all grades and subjects, with 62.8% of students proficient or better in ELA compared to the state average of 41.2%. The school's performance is particularly strong in certain subgroups, such as Hispanic students and students with low socioeconomic status, where it ranks among the top 5-10% of Illinois middle schools. Additionally, Benjamin Middle School has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 2.3% to 12.3% over the past few years, which is lower than the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, Glenside Middle School and Leman Middle School have significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates, which may impact their academic performance. However, some nearby schools, such as Franklin Middle School and Hadley Junior High School, also demonstrate strong academic performance, with higher proficiency rates in certain grades and subjects. The school's success in supporting the academic growth of traditionally underserved student populations is a notable strength and a model for other schools to emulate.

Detail:

Public 5-8

28W300 Saint Charles Rd
West Chicago, IL 60185-1454

(630) 876-7820

District: Benjamin School District 25

SchoolDigger Rank:
187^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $22,062

Students who attend Benjamin Middle School usually attend:

High:

West Chicago Community High School

Feeder schools for Benjamin Middle School:

Elementary:

Evergreen Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.6

Number of students: 250

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.2%

Hispanic:

21.6%

Asian:

13.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 10.9%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Benjamin Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Benjamin Middle School ranks better than 86.3% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 84.22. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a 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

Compare Details Student population at Benjamin Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (57.2%), Hispanic (21.6%), Asian (13.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Benjamin Middle School is 10.6. (See more...)

Compare Benjamin Middle School employs 23.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Benjamin Middle School is $22,062.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Benjamin Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Benjamin Middle School 187^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Benjamin Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Benjamin School District 25:

SchoolDigger ranks Benjamin School District 25 176^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Benjamin Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Benjamin Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	87.61	89^th	1185	92.5%
2004	87.02	106^th	1204	91.2%
2005	83.99	152^nd	1209	87.4%
2006	88.08	53^rd	1272	95.8%
2007	86.48	69^th	1287	94.6%
2008	85.55	82^nd	1293	93.7%
2009	87.26	54^th	1318	95.9%
2010	86.88	57^th	1327	95.7%
2011	83.69	116^th	1344	91.4%
2012	89.23	36^th	1365	97.4%
2013	90.06	79^th	1367	94.2%
2014	91.98	52^nd	1322	96.1%
2015	82.29	189^th	1302	85.5%
2016	69.48	328^th	1294	74.7%
2017	80.46	208^th	1293	83.9%
2018	86.97	138^th	1293	89.3%
2019	88.88	122^nd	1356	91.0%
2021	89.03	95^th	1241	92.3%
2022	87.55	130^th	1369	90.5%
2023	86.84	143^rd	1367	89.5%
2024	84.22	187^th	1363	86.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Benjamin Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	82.95	46^th	602	92.4%
2019	83.41	55^th	792	93.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Benjamin Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	92.53	37^th	1219	97.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Benjamin Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	88.28	105^th	1226	91.4%
2019	91.83	73^rd	1276	94.3%
2021	88.88	76^th	1017	92.5%
2022	84.85	140^th	1286	89.1%
2023	83.91	157^th	1275	87.7%
2024	80.25	207^th	1251	83.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Benjamin Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	81.53	169^th	1223	86.2%
2019	83.52	172^nd	1296	86.7%
2021	85.06	107^th	1048	89.8%
2022	88.45	107^th	1286	91.7%
2023	86.67	122^nd	1292	90.6%
2024	85.32	144^th	1264	88.6%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Benjamin Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	49.62	108^th	198	45.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Benjamin Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	78.65	79^th	639	87.6%
2021	95.99	14^th	517	97.3%
2022	82.29	71^st	662	89.3%
2023	84.75	59^th	661	91.1%
2024	87.27	46^th	643	92.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Benjamin Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	72.50	201^st	889	77.4%
2019	80.85	120^th	905	86.7%
2021	83.85	88^th	813	89.2%
2022	79.83	118^th	898	86.9%
2023	78.23	145^th	895	83.8%
2024	73.08	189^th	875	78.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle 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 Benjamin Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	251	2	12	3	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	268
1989	250	1	10	3	3	n/a	n/a	0	267
1990	276	n/a	13	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	290
1991	328	1	17	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	352
1992	332	0	13	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	348
1993	368	1	21	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	392
1994	373	0	21	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	397
1995	398	2	22	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	435
1996	398	2	22	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	435
1997	431	3	13	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	460
1998	460	6	12	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	482
1999	466	5	11	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	493
2000	455	3	13	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	482
2001	457	1	10	17	1	n/a	n/a	0	486
2002	406	2	14	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	445
2003	406	2	14	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	445
2004	385	0	25	29	0	n/a	n/a	0	439
2005	370	3	24	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	432
2006	360	5	29	36	0	n/a	n/a	2	432
2007	360	7	37	36	0	n/a	n/a	3	443
2008	354	9	32	34	0	n/a	n/a	6	435
2009	325	8	41	32	0	n/a	n/a	6	412
2010	305	7	41	28	0	n/a	n/a	8	389
2011	264	6	45	37	0	0	8	0	360
2012	249	6	45	41	0	0	11	0	352
2013	242	4	32	37	1	0	12	0	328
2014	235	3	26	33	1	0	18	0	316
2015	218	4	25	39	0	0	13	0	299
2016	199	5	25	26	0	1	8	0	264
2017	198	6	28	27	0	1	8	0	268
2018	192	2	25	43	0	1	9	0	272
2019	192	3	30	53	0	0	12	0	290
2020	201	3	24	56	0	0	10	0	294
2021	189	4	31	54	0	0	10	0	288
2022	169	8	30	52	0	0	7	0	266
2023	154	8	30	53	0	0	5	0	250
2024	143	14	34	54	0	0	5	0	250

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 Benjamin Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	268	14.2	18.8	n/a
1989	267	14.2	18.8	n/a
1990	290	17.0	17.0	n/a
1991	352	19.5	18.0	n/a
1992	348	21.0	16.5	n/a
1993	392	20.6	19.0	n/a
1994	397	21.4	18.6	n/a
1995	435	23.5	18.5	n/a
1996	435	23.5	18.5	n/a
1997	460	25.3	18.2	n/a
1998	482	26.3	18.3	n/a
1999	493	25.7	19.2	n/a
2000	482	29.5	16.3	n/a
2001	486	31.0	15.7	n/a
2002	445	29.0	15.3	0
2003	445	29.0	15.3	0
2004	439	25.0	17.6	0
2005	432	27.5	15.7	0
2006	432	26.0	16.6	0
2007	443	27.0	16.4	0
2008	435	27.0	16.1	0
2009	412	32.0	12.9	0
2010	389	32.0	12.1	0
2011	360	28.0	12.8	0
2012	352	26.0	13.5	8.8
2013	328	28.3	11.5	8.5
2014	316	27.0	11.7	5.7
2015	299	29.0	10.3	8.7
2016	264	25.0	10.5	9.5
2017	268	25.0	10.7	6.3
2018	272	26.7	10.1	5.5
2019	290	29.0	10.0	7.9
2020	294	26.5	11.0	6.1
2021	288	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	266	26.2	10.1	10.9
2023	250	24.5	10.2	n/a
2024	250	23.5	10.6	n/a

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 Benjamin Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	268	14.2	18.8	n/a
1989	267	14.2	18.8	n/a
1990	290	17.0	17.0	n/a
1991	352	19.5	18.0	n/a
1992	348	21.0	16.5	n/a
1993	392	20.6	19.0	n/a
1994	397	21.4	18.6	n/a
1995	435	23.5	18.5	n/a
1996	435	23.5	18.5	n/a
1997	460	25.3	18.2	n/a
1998	482	26.3	18.3	n/a
1999	493	25.7	19.2	n/a
2000	482	29.5	16.3	n/a
2001	486	31.0	15.7	n/a
2002	445	29.0	15.3	0
2003	445	29.0	15.3	0
2004	439	25.0	17.6	0
2005	432	27.5	15.7	0
2006	432	26.0	16.6	0
2007	443	27.0	16.4	0
2008	435	27.0	16.1	0
2009	412	32.0	12.9	0
2010	389	32.0	12.1	0
2011	360	28.0	12.8	0
2012	352	26.0	13.5	8.8
2013	328	28.3	11.5	8.5
2014	316	27.0	11.7	5.7
2015	299	29.0	10.3	8.7
2016	264	25.0	10.5	9.5
2017	268	25.0	10.7	6.3
2018	272	26.7	10.1	5.5
2019	290	29.0	10.0	7.9
2020	294	26.5	11.0	6.1
2021	288	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	266	26.2	10.1	10.9
2023	250	24.5	10.2	n/a
2024	250	23.5	10.6	n/a

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.

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