Is Mark W Bills Middle School a good school?

Mark W Bills Middle School ranks in the bottom 12.1% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend Mark W Bills Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 262 students attended Mark W Bills Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Mark W Bills Middle School?

Students at Mark W Bills Middle School are 57% African American, 21% White, 11% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Mark W Bills Middle School attend?

Students who attend Mark W Bills Middle School usually go on to attend Richwoods High School

Mark W Bills Middle School

Summary:

Mark W Bills Middle School is a public middle school in Peoria, Illinois, serving 262 students in grades 5-8. 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, Mark W Bills Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Illinois middle schools, with a 1-2 star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 36.1% to 44.7% over the past few years, well above the state average. Academically, the school's proficiency rates on state assessments are consistently below state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 19.3% of students were proficient in ELA and 10.1% were proficient in Math, compared to state averages of 41.2% and 28.4%, respectively. When analyzing the performance of different student subgroups, Mark W Bills Middle School shows significant disparities, ranking in the bottom quarter of Illinois middle schools for White, Multi-racial, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.

Interestingly, when compared to nearby middle schools, such as Liberty Leadership Middle School, which is only 3 miles away, Mark W Bills Middle School is underperforming, with significantly higher academic proficiency rates and a higher SchoolDigger rating. Despite the school's low performance, it appears to receive relatively high per-student funding, suggesting that the issue may not be solely a lack of resources, but rather how those resources are being utilized to support student learning. Additionally, the school has a higher student-teacher ratio of 19.7, compared to nearby schools like Dunlap Valley Middle School (16.0) and Liberty Leadership Middle School (12.4), which could be a contributing factor to the school's academic struggles.

Detail:

Public 5-8

6001 N Frostwood Pkwy
Peoria, IL 61615-2837

(309) 693-4437

District: Peoria School District 150

SchoolDigger Rank:
1198^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,694

Students who attend Mark W Bills Middle School usually attend:

High:

Richwoods High School

Feeder schools for Mark W Bills Middle School:

Elementary:

Charter Oak Primary School

Student/teacher ratio: 19.7

Number of students: 262

Racial breakdown:

African American:

57.3%

White:

20.6%

Two or more races:

11.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 74.8%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Mark W Bills Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Mark W Bills Middle School ranks worse than 87.9% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks 3^rd among 6 ranked middle schools in the Peoria School District 150. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.1. (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 Mark W Bills Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Peoria School District 150. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mark W Bills Middle School is $18,694, which is the 2^nd highest among 6 middle schools in the Peoria School District 150.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Mark W Bills Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Mark W Bills Middle School 1198^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Mark W Bills 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:

White students:

Peoria School District 150:

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

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Mark W Bills Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	30.73	867^th	1185	26.8%
2004	48.32	706^th	1204	41.4%
2005	43.17	778^th	1209	35.6%
2006	33.50	944^th	1272	25.8%
2007	39.60	895^th	1287	30.5%
2008	43.90	833^rd	1293	35.6%
2009	43.70	870^th	1318	34.0%
2010	37.08	959^th	1327	27.7%
2011	19.89	1154^th	1344	14.1%
2012	32.96	1016^th	1365	25.6%
2013	18.92	1162^nd	1367	15.0%
2014	29.04	989^th	1322	25.2%
2015	25.30	979^th	1302	24.8%
2016	28.31	925^th	1294	28.5%
2017	28.40	925^th	1293	28.5%
2018	30.17	893^rd	1293	30.9%
2019	25.67	1006^th	1356	25.8%
2021	32.06	781^st	1241	37.1%
2022	26.83	963^rd	1369	29.7%
2023	28.85	937^th	1367	31.5%
2024	16.10	1198^th	1363	12.1%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	30.38	123^rd	179	31.3%
2022	39.12	109^th	195	44.1%
2023	31.72	121^st	194	37.6%
2024	16.34	155^th	184	15.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	38.84	313^th	602	48.0%
2019	36.43	445^th	792	43.8%
2021	43.60	241^st	548	56.0%
2022	42.05	351^st	781	55.1%
2023	29.71	553^rd	805	31.3%
2024	23.47	675^th	802	15.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.00	771^st	1161	33.6%
2019	30.93	889^th	1217	27.0%
2021	24.29	848^th	1019	16.8%
2022	29.51	896^th	1221	26.6%
2023	30.76	883^rd	1234	28.4%
2024	17.46	1099^th	1219	9.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	39.49	726^th	1226	40.8%
2019	26.79	955^th	1276	25.2%
2021	21.31	830^th	1017	18.4%
2022	32.03	826^th	1286	35.8%
2023	27.20	912^th	1275	28.5%
2024	16.45	1094^th	1251	12.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	24.57	566^th	674	16.0%
2024	35.17	384^th	639	39.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.63	892^nd	1223	27.1%
2019	27.16	927^th	1296	28.5%
2021	39.00	576^th	1048	45.0%
2022	24.83	958^th	1286	25.5%
2023	30.69	854^th	1292	33.9%
2024	16.86	1110^th	1264	12.2%

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

Rank History for African American students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.95	278^th	511	45.6%
2019	33.69	380^th	565	32.7%
2021	49.03	143^rd	385	62.9%
2022	40.54	286^th	573	50.1%
2023	40.16	310^th	569	45.5%
2024	29.18	400^th	548	27.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Mark W Bills Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	48.05	441^st	889	50.4%
2019	39.23	561^st	905	38.0%
2023	34.28	597^th	895	33.3%
2024	12.53	803^rd	875	8.2%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2.3)

33%

67%

Reviews:

by a student
Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Curriculum is very poor
Students are treated like elementary age children
Many disciplinary problems Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, December 20, 2017

This is an awful school. My daughter gets bullied everyday and nobody of authority does anything about it. Mrs. Rodgers needs a better bullying program than what's provided. I'm trying to get my kid out of that school. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, August 29, 2012

This school is wonderful the teachers are great they help my kid learn more and give me daily calls to let me know how he is improving ..plus I love how they get us as parents to be more into the work they send home.I think and know this school should rate at a 4 out of 5 thank you to all the staff at mark bills Close Quote

Enrollment information for Mark W Bills Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	189	140	3	4	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	336
1990	197	140	4	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	342
1991	172	116	5	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	295
1992	171	124	6	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	308
1993	167	106	6	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	286
1994	132	97	10	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	243
1995	129	100	8	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	239
1996	129	100	8	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	239
1997	141	104	8	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	257
1998	143	111	9	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	269
1999	148	112	10	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	277
2000	135	105	11	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	257
2001	133	114	7	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	258
2002	113	104	5	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	229
2003	113	104	5	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	229
2004	128	127	7	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	270
2005	130	141	8	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	288
2006	106	147	7	7	3	n/a	n/a	3	273
2007	113	151	8	8	0	n/a	n/a	2	282
2008	91	139	7	5	0	n/a	n/a	1	243
2009	91	148	7	5	1	n/a	n/a	2	254
2010	87	136	5	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	235
2011	69	95	3	11	0	0	32	0	210
2012	65	99	2	7	0	0	27	0	200
2013	74	113	4	11	0	0	29	0	231
2014	62	104	8	13	0	0	23	0	210
2015	63	112	6	10	0	0	20	0	211
2016	50	122	7	15	0	0	19	0	213
2017	49	124	5	14	0	0	26	0	218
2018	45	128	5	18	0	0	31	0	227
2019	34	115	5	18	0	0	35	0	207
2020	36	110	6	23	0	0	33	0	208
2021	41	125	5	26	0	1	33	0	231
2022	43	150	4	27	0	0	39	0	263
2023	54	150	4	23	1	0	30	0	262

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 Mark W Bills Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	336	20.4	16.4	n/a
1990	342	21.4	15.9	n/a
1991	295	21.0	14.0	n/a
1992	308	20.0	15.4	n/a
1993	286	18.0	15.9	n/a
1994	243	15.0	16.2	n/a
1995	239	17.0	14.1	n/a
1996	239	17.0	14.1	n/a
1997	257	15.0	17.1	n/a
1998	269	17.0	15.8	n/a
1999	277	19.0	14.6	n/a
2000	257	20.0	12.9	n/a
2001	258	18.1	14.3	n/a
2002	229	17.7	12.9	45.4
2003	229	17.7	12.9	45.4
2004	270	18.7	14.4	49.3
2005	288	17.6	16.4	51
2006	273	18.5	14.8	52.2
2007	282	15.0	18.8	57.9
2008	243	12.0	20.3	54.5
2009	254	17.0	14.9	47.6
2010	235	17.0	13.8	63.8
2011	210	17.0	12.3	66.7
2012	200	15.1	13.2	65.5
2013	231	18.0	12.7	61
2014	210	20.0	10.5	61.4
2015	211	17.0	12.4	63.5
2016	213	18.0	11.8	58.7
2017	218	22.0	9.9	66.5
2018	227	17.0	13.3	65.2
2019	207	14.0	14.7	61.4
2020	208	11.0	18.9	69.7
2021	231	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	263	15.0	17.5	74.1
2023	262	13.2	19.7	74.8

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 Mark W Bills Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	336	20.4	16.4	n/a
1990	342	21.4	15.9	n/a
1991	295	21.0	14.0	n/a
1992	308	20.0	15.4	n/a
1993	286	18.0	15.9	n/a
1994	243	15.0	16.2	n/a
1995	239	17.0	14.1	n/a
1996	239	17.0	14.1	n/a
1997	257	15.0	17.1	n/a
1998	269	17.0	15.8	n/a
1999	277	19.0	14.6	n/a
2000	257	20.0	12.9	n/a
2001	258	18.1	14.3	n/a
2002	229	17.7	12.9	45.4
2003	229	17.7	12.9	45.4
2004	270	18.7	14.4	49.3
2005	288	17.6	16.4	51
2006	273	18.5	14.8	52.2
2007	282	15.0	18.8	57.9
2008	243	12.0	20.3	54.5
2009	254	17.0	14.9	47.6
2010	235	17.0	13.8	63.8
2011	210	17.0	12.3	66.7
2012	200	15.1	13.2	65.5
2013	231	18.0	12.7	61
2014	210	20.0	10.5	61.4
2015	211	17.0	12.4	63.5
2016	213	18.0	11.8	58.7
2017	218	22.0	9.9	66.5
2018	227	17.0	13.3	65.2
2019	207	14.0	14.7	61.4
2020	208	11.0	18.9	69.7
2021	231	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	263	15.0	17.5	74.1
2023	262	13.2	19.7	74.8

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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