Is Harold B Dawson Middle School a good school?

Harold B Dawson Middle School ranks in the bottom 6.3% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend Harold B Dawson Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 326 students attended Harold B Dawson Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Harold B Dawson Middle School?

Students at Harold B Dawson Middle School are 72% African American, 11% White, 9% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Harold B Dawson Middle School attend?

Students who attend Harold B Dawson Middle School usually go on to attend Peoria High School

Harold B Dawson Middle School

Summary:

Harold B Dawson Middle School is a public middle school located in West Peoria, Illinois, serving grades 5-8 with a student population of 360. The school is part of the Peoria School District 150, which is ranked 773 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past several years, Harold B Dawson Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Illinois middle schools, with a 0 or 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Harold B Dawson Middle School significantly underperforms compared to the state and district averages on standardized tests. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 13.8% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 41.2% statewide and 17.7% in the Peoria School District. In mathematics, the school had 0% proficiency across all grade levels, compared to 28.4% statewide and 12% in the district. The school has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching as high as 60.5% in the 2020-2021 school year, significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing Harold B Dawson Middle School to other nearby middle schools in the Peoria area, it becomes clear that the school is an outlier in terms of academic performance. For example, Reservoir Gifted School, which is also in the Peoria School District, had 93.4% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 81.5% in mathematics in the 2023-2024 school year. The large performance gaps between student subgroups, such as African American students and students with disabilities, also suggest that the school may not be effectively addressing the needs of all its students.

Detail:

Public 5-8

2708 W Rohmann Ave
West Peoria, IL 61604-4921

(309) 672-6506

District: Peoria School District 150

SchoolDigger Rank:
1277^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,643

Students who attend Harold B Dawson Middle School usually attend:

High:

Peoria High School

Feeder schools for Harold B Dawson Middle School:

Elementary:

Whittier Primary School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.5

Number of students: 326

Racial breakdown:

African American:

72.1%

White:

11.3%

Two or more races:

9.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 88.7%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Harold B Dawson Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Harold B Dawson Middle School ranks worse than 93.7% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks 4^th among 6 ranked middle schools in the Peoria School District 150. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.39. (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 Racial makeup is: African American (72.1%), White (11.3%), two or more races (9.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 88.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Peoria School District 150. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Harold B Dawson Middle School is 16.5. 4 middle schools in the Peoria School District 150 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Harold B Dawson Middle School employs 19.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Harold B Dawson Middle School is $14,643. 4 middle schools in the Peoria School District 150 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Harold B Dawson Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Harold B Dawson Middle School 1277^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Harold B Dawson Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Peoria School District 150:

SchoolDigger ranks Peoria School District 150 773^rd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Harold B Dawson Middle School?

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Rank History for Harold B Dawson Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	54.91	602^nd	1185	49.2%
2004	61.22	538^th	1204	55.3%
2005	36.26	841^st	1209	30.4%
2006	37.84	899^th	1272	29.3%
2007	26.61	1016^th	1287	21.1%
2008	25.51	1030^th	1293	20.3%
2009	25.45	1048^th	1318	20.5%
2010	27.23	1050^th	1327	20.9%
2011	42.94	881^st	1344	34.4%
2012	18.18	1188^th	1365	13.0%
2013	20.67	1137^th	1367	16.8%
2014	14.08	1195^th	1322	9.6%
2015	18.49	1101^st	1302	15.4%
2016	13.00	1204^th	1294	7.0%
2017	14.67	1159^th	1293	10.4%
2018	11.85	1215^th	1293	6.0%
2019	12.68	1252^nd	1356	7.7%
2021	14.06	1152^nd	1241	7.2%
2022	11.65	1332^nd	1369	2.7%
2023	15.76	1210^th	1367	11.5%
2024	12.39	1277^th	1363	6.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	12.74	154^th	164	6.1%
2019	14.96	154^th	179	14.0%
2022	11.56	189^th	195	3.1%
2023	14.33	176^th	194	9.3%
2024	14.12	169^th	184	8.2%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.79	496^th	602	17.6%
2019	27.48	650^th	792	17.9%
2021	25.59	501^st	548	8.6%
2022	26.86	654^th	781	16.3%
2023	23.41	683^rd	805	15.2%
2024	20.68	718^th	802	10.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	14.30	1102^nd	1161	5.1%
2019	15.70	1133^rd	1217	6.9%
2021	19.78	920^th	1019	9.7%
2022	14.75	1187^th	1221	2.8%
2023	20.04	1086^th	1234	12.0%
2024	15.49	1141^st	1219	6.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.63	1152^nd	1226	6.0%
2019	15.13	1132^nd	1276	11.3%
2021	12.16	969^th	1017	4.7%
2022	11.95	1231^st	1286	4.3%
2023	14.43	1158^th	1275	9.2%
2024	12.38	1168^th	1251	6.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	30.95	466^th	674	30.9%
2024	26.22	528^th	639	17.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	13.68	1131^st	1223	7.5%
2019	11.90	1228^th	1296	5.2%
2021	13.49	989^th	1048	5.6%
2022	12.61	1234^th	1286	4.0%
2023	18.28	1104^th	1292	14.6%
2024	13.44	1189^th	1264	5.9%

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

Rank History for African American students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.23	482^nd	511	5.7%
2019	23.09	500^th	565	11.5%
2021	25.31	339^th	385	11.9%
2022	22.31	541^st	573	5.6%
2023	26.01	474^th	569	16.7%
2024	20.98	502^nd	548	8.4%

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

Rank History for White students at Harold B Dawson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.65	764^th	889	14.1%
2019	23.93	722^nd	905	20.2%
2022	9.05	868^th	898	3.3%
2023	29.12	653^rd	895	27.0%

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 Harold B Dawson Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	209	125	5	3	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	342
1990	205	116	4	3	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	328
1991	197	118	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	319
1992	187	102	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	291
1993	173	79	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	253
1994	179	102	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	285
1995	143	91	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	238
1996	143	91	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	238
1997	133	95	3	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	232
1998	124	101	3	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	229
1999	120	97	3	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	221
2000	131	93	3	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	229
2001	123	88	3	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	215
2002	139	126	3	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	270
2003	139	126	3	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	270
2004	125	123	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	251
2005	115	141	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	262
2006	110	153	4	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	269
2007	105	166	4	6	0	n/a	n/a	1	282
2008	91	187	2	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	288
2009	85	175	1	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	269
2010	82	177	1	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	266
2011	68	144	0	12	2	0	19	0	245
2012	78	214	3	16	1	0	26	0	338
2013	87	211	3	22	1	0	33	0	357
2014	83	271	1	20	0	0	34	0	409
2015	76	230	1	18	0	0	30	0	355
2016	69	218	1	17	0	0	24	0	329
2017	73	261	2	24	0	0	46	0	406
2018	56	236	2	27	1	0	40	0	362
2019	42	240	2	26	1	1	40	0	352
2020	42	240	1	16	0	1	38	0	338
2021	49	239	0	16	0	2	44	0	350
2022	51	241	0	23	1	2	50	0	368
2023	49	234	1	25	1	1	49	0	360
2024	37	235	1	19	2	2	30	0	326

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 Harold B Dawson Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	342	18.0	19.0	n/a
1990	328	20.0	16.4	n/a
1991	319	20.0	15.9	n/a
1992	291	18.0	16.1	n/a
1993	253	15.0	16.9	n/a
1994	285	17.0	16.8	n/a
1995	238	16.0	14.9	n/a
1996	238	16.0	14.9	n/a
1997	232	17.0	13.6	n/a
1998	229	18.0	12.7	n/a
1999	221	18.0	12.3	n/a
2000	229	16.5	13.9	n/a
2001	215	17.0	12.6	n/a
2002	270	17.0	15.9	60.7
2003	270	17.0	15.9	60.7
2004	251	18.0	13.9	64.9
2005	262	16.0	16.4	66.4
2006	269	16.1	16.7	66.5
2007	282	12.0	23.5	73.7
2008	288	13.0	22.2	68.1
2009	269	18.7	14.4	55.8
2010	266	18.0	14.7	82.7
2011	245	20.0	12.2	83.7
2012	338	23.0	14.6	76
2013	357	22.5	15.8	78.2
2014	409	24.0	17.0	79
2015	355	26.0	13.6	80.8
2016	329	24.0	13.7	72.9
2017	406	29.1	13.9	77.1
2018	362	27.2	13.2	77.9
2019	352	25.0	14.0	78.7
2020	338	22.2	15.1	91.4
2021	350	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	368	18.7	19.6	90.2
2023	360	18.5	19.4	87.8
2024	326	19.7	16.5	88.7

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 Harold B Dawson Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	342	18.0	19.0	n/a
1990	328	20.0	16.4	n/a
1991	319	20.0	15.9	n/a
1992	291	18.0	16.1	n/a
1993	253	15.0	16.9	n/a
1994	285	17.0	16.8	n/a
1995	238	16.0	14.9	n/a
1996	238	16.0	14.9	n/a
1997	232	17.0	13.6	n/a
1998	229	18.0	12.7	n/a
1999	221	18.0	12.3	n/a
2000	229	16.5	13.9	n/a
2001	215	17.0	12.6	n/a
2002	270	17.0	15.9	60.7
2003	270	17.0	15.9	60.7
2004	251	18.0	13.9	64.9
2005	262	16.0	16.4	66.4
2006	269	16.1	16.7	66.5
2007	282	12.0	23.5	73.7
2008	288	13.0	22.2	68.1
2009	269	18.7	14.4	55.8
2010	266	18.0	14.7	82.7
2011	245	20.0	12.2	83.7
2012	338	23.0	14.6	76
2013	357	22.5	15.8	78.2
2014	409	24.0	17.0	79
2015	355	26.0	13.6	80.8
2016	329	24.0	13.7	72.9
2017	406	29.1	13.9	77.1
2018	362	27.2	13.2	77.9
2019	352	25.0	14.0	78.7
2020	338	22.2	15.1	91.4
2021	350	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	368	18.7	19.6	90.2
2023	360	18.5	19.4	87.8
2024	326	19.7	16.5	88.7

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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