Is Pekin Community High School a good school?

Pekin Community High School ranks 339 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pekin Community High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,737 students attended Pekin Community High School.

What is the racial makeup of Pekin Community High School?

Students at Pekin Community High School are 89% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

What schools feed into Pekin Community High School?

Pekin Community High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : C B Smith Elementary School Elementary : Dirksen Elementary School Elementary : Jefferson Elementary School Elementary : L E Starke Elementary School Elementary : Marquette Elementary School Elementary : Rankin Elementary School Elementary : Scott Altman Primary School Elementary : South Pekin Elementary School Elementary : Spring Lake Elementary School Elementary : Willow Elementary School Middle : Broadmoor Junior High School Middle : Edison Junior High School Middle : Georgetown Middle School Middle : Washington Intermediate School Middle : Wilson Intermediate School

Pekin Community High School

Summary:

Pekin Community High School is a public high school serving 1,796 students in grades 9-12 in Pekin, Illinois. The school is part of the Pekin Central School District 303, which is ranked 489 out of 813 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pekin Community High School has seen a steady improvement in its four-year graduation rate, increasing from 85.8% in 2020-2021 to 95.1% in 2023-2024. However, the school has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 29.1% in 2019-2020 to 51.4% in 2021-2022. Additionally, the school's test scores, particularly in mathematics and English Language Arts, have been consistently lower than the state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 16.8% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in SAT Mathematics, compared to the state average of 26.1%.

When comparing Pekin Community High School to nearby schools, such as Illini Bluffs High School and Morton High School, the latter two consistently outperform Pekin Community High School in terms of test scores, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. This suggests that Pekin Community High School may need to learn from the successes of these higher-performing schools and consider the impact of socioeconomic factors, as the school serves a population with a relatively high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Detail:

Public 9-12

1903 Court St
Pekin, IL 61554-5212

(309) 347-4101

District: Pekin Central School District 303

SchoolDigger Rank:
339^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,649

Feeder schools for Pekin Community High School:

Elementary:	C B Smith Elementary School
	Dirksen Elementary School
	Jefferson Elementary School
	L E Starke Elementary School
	More...
	Marquette Elementary School
	Rankin Elementary School
	Scott Altman Primary School
	South Pekin Elementary School
	Spring Lake Elementary School
	Willow Elementary School
Middle:	Broadmoor Junior High School
	Edison Junior High School
	Georgetown Middle School
	Washington Intermediate School
	More...
	Wilson Intermediate School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.1

Number of students: 1,737

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.3%

Two or more races:

4.3%

Hispanic:

3.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 48.5%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Pekin Community High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pekin Community High School ranks better than 51.4% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 46.47. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Pekin Community High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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

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 Racial makeup is: White (89.3%), two or more races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 48.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pekin Community High School is 15.1. (See more...)

Compare Pekin Community High School employs 114.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pekin Community High School is $16,649.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pekin Community High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Pekin Community High School 339^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Pekin Community 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:

Pekin Central School District 303:

SchoolDigger ranks Pekin Central School District 303 489^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Pekin Community High School

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Rank History for all students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	60.33	251^st	586	57.2%
2004	48.77	360^th	592	39.2%
2005	60.03	262^nd	590	55.6%
2006	50.53	343^rd	596	42.4%
2007	56.52	300^th	612	51.0%
2008	45.93	392^nd	624	37.2%
2009	48.87	370^th	632	41.5%
2010	46.76	412^th	643	35.9%
2011	68.14	229^th	655	65.0%
2012	60.02	288^th	665	56.7%
2013	55.79	335^th	670	50.0%
2014	60.67	281^st	670	58.1%
2015	70.63	141^st	614	77.0%
2016	68.00	125^th	643	80.6%
2017	60.36	241^st	642	62.5%
2018	60.02	239^th	647	63.1%
2019	63.04	213^th	701	69.6%
2021	51.31	294^th	688	57.3%
2022	57.60	272^nd	699	61.1%
2023	59.53	248^th	699	64.5%
2024	46.47	339^th	697	51.4%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.49	121^st	154	21.4%
2019	37.57	97^th	165	41.2%
2021	42.52	88^th	160	45.0%
2022	56.88	70^th	170	58.8%
2023	34.70	99^th	163	39.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.14	241^st	374	35.6%
2019	36.91	241^st	473	49.0%
2021	36.36	239^th	453	47.2%
2022	31.21	286^th	493	42.0%
2023	42.98	199^th	476	58.2%
2024	47.23	179^th	482	62.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	65.51	150^th	585	74.4%
2019	68.54	135^th	639	78.9%
2021	52.94	226^th	611	63.0%
2022	62.29	177^th	626	71.7%
2023	49.67	291^st	644	54.8%
2024	38.79	369^th	639	42.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	53.56	282^nd	620	54.5%
2019	62.52	222^nd	665	66.6%
2021	53.95	256^th	639	59.9%
2022	58.93	254^th	658	61.4%
2023	54.49	278^th	656	57.6%
2024	39.26	374^th	664	43.7%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	54.21	127^th	428	70.3%
2024	38.19	198^th	429	53.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	62.93	206^th	619	66.7%
2019	61.33	213^th	675	68.4%
2021	43.97	337^th	653	48.4%
2022	53.90	281^st	664	57.7%
2023	61.94	212^th	668	68.3%
2024	51.58	282^nd	668	57.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	70.05	67^th	317	78.9%
2021	23.36	257^th	317	18.9%
2022	57.30	112^th	335	66.6%
2023	41.29	182^nd	333	45.3%
2024	41.54	171^st	336	49.1%

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

Rank History for White students at Pekin Community High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	45.57	273^rd	548	50.2%
2019	47.48	248^th	552	55.1%
2021	33.99	340^th	553	38.5%
2022	38.49	341^st	560	39.1%
2023	44.97	276^th	557	50.4%
2024	28.75	385^th	554	30.5%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a citizen
Sunday, September 18, 2011

I was a student many years ago at Pekin Community High School. As a matter of fact I was a drop out. But I wish I hadn't because Pekin is on an academic level, preparing teens for adulthood.

The teachers are excellent

The administration/deans/principles/superintendant is corrupt
In their eyes if youre kid aint rich he or she aint gittin educated

But as for the teachers they do their best to make that school run every single day

John Taylor Close Quote

Enrollment information for Pekin Community High School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	1244	1	2	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1248
1990	1249	1	3	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1253
1991	1198	1	8	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	1209
1992	1224	1	7	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	1235
1993	1209	2	9	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	1225
1994	2245	5	12	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	2267
1995	2397	7	6	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	2419
1996	2397	7	6	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	2419
1997	2198	4	13	9	3	n/a	n/a	0	2227
1998	2161	3	14	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	2191
1999	2220	3	13	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	2244
2000	2159	3	11	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	2181
2001	2138	3	9	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	2158
2002	2117	3	5	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	2134
2003	2117	3	5	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	2134
2004	2035	6	22	10	5	n/a	n/a	0	2078
2005	2068	7	25	11	6	n/a	n/a	0	2117
2006	2133	5	17	9	4	n/a	n/a	0	2168
2007	2275	11	16	13	6	n/a	n/a	0	2321
2008	2169	13	18	20	7	n/a	n/a	14	2241
2009	2102	18	18	27	8	n/a	n/a	12	2185
2010	2003	10	13	28	9	n/a	n/a	15	2078
2011	1856	14	13	41	17	0	39	0	1980
2012	1866	11	13	41	13	0	37	0	1981
2013	1923	13	17	45	14	1	42	0	2055
2014	1866	16	14	45	15	1	48	0	2005
2015	1855	20	14	45	16	3	59	0	2012
2016	1846	21	12	45	17	3	62	0	2006
2017	1771	19	10	43	12	2	70	0	1927
2018	1665	13	16	52	7	0	71	0	1824
2019	1659	13	16	54	7	0	72	0	1821
2020	1605	12	16	59	4	2	82	0	1780
2021	1678	9	18	65	7	2	82	0	1861
2022	1668	12	22	69	4	0	72	0	1847
2023	1600	17	25	72	3	0	79	0	1796
2024	1552	21	19	67	2	1	75	0	1737

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 Pekin Community High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1248	72.0	17.3	n/a
1990	1253	72.4	17.3	n/a
1991	1209	67.9	17.8	n/a
1992	1235	74.3	16.6	n/a
1993	1225	72.3	16.9	n/a
1994	2267	109.8	20.6	n/a
1995	2419	112.6	21.5	n/a
1996	2419	112.6	21.5	n/a
1997	2227	114.4	19.5	n/a
1998	2191	116.5	18.8	n/a
1999	2244	117.7	19.1	n/a
2000	2181	115.0	19.0	n/a
2001	2158	119.9	18.0	n/a
2002	2134	119.5	17.9	26.9
2003	2134	119.5	17.9	26.9
2004	2078	116.0	17.9	26.7
2005	2117	115.2	18.4	26.7
2006	2168	114.2	19.0	28.3
2007	2321	114.0	20.4	27.1
2008	2241	101.0	22.2	28.5
2009	2185	125.0	17.5	28.6
2010	2078	123.6	16.8	36.2
2011	1980	124.0	15.9	37.6
2012	1981	122.6	16.1	38.6
2013	2055	n/a	n/a	40.5
2014	2005	n/a	n/a	42.5
2015	2012	122.0	16.4	49.6
2016	2006	117.0	17.1	43.5
2017	1927	112.7	17.0	44.3
2018	1824	106.8	17.0	42.4
2019	1821	111.4	16.3	44.9
2020	1780	110.1	16.1	45.6
2021	1861	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	1847	112.8	16.3	47.5
2023	1796	111.5	16.1	48.2
2024	1737	114.5	15.1	48.5

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 Pekin Community High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1248	72.0	17.3	n/a
1990	1253	72.4	17.3	n/a
1991	1209	67.9	17.8	n/a
1992	1235	74.3	16.6	n/a
1993	1225	72.3	16.9	n/a
1994	2267	109.8	20.6	n/a
1995	2419	112.6	21.5	n/a
1996	2419	112.6	21.5	n/a
1997	2227	114.4	19.5	n/a
1998	2191	116.5	18.8	n/a
1999	2244	117.7	19.1	n/a
2000	2181	115.0	19.0	n/a
2001	2158	119.9	18.0	n/a
2002	2134	119.5	17.9	26.9
2003	2134	119.5	17.9	26.9
2004	2078	116.0	17.9	26.7
2005	2117	115.2	18.4	26.7
2006	2168	114.2	19.0	28.3
2007	2321	114.0	20.4	27.1
2008	2241	101.0	22.2	28.5
2009	2185	125.0	17.5	28.6
2010	2078	123.6	16.8	36.2
2011	1980	124.0	15.9	37.6
2012	1981	122.6	16.1	38.6
2013	2055	n/a	n/a	40.5
2014	2005	n/a	n/a	42.5
2015	2012	122.0	16.4	49.6
2016	2006	117.0	17.1	43.5
2017	1927	112.7	17.0	44.3
2018	1824	106.8	17.0	42.4
2019	1821	111.4	16.3	44.9
2020	1780	110.1	16.1	45.6
2021	1861	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	1847	112.8	16.3	47.5
2023	1796	111.5	16.1	48.2
2024	1737	114.5	15.1	48.5

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