Is Pontiac Junior High School a good school?

Pontiac Junior High School ranks 965 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Pontiac Junior High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 324 students attended Pontiac Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Pontiac Junior High School?

Students at Pontiac Junior High School are 71% White, 18% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What high school do graduates of Pontiac Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Pontiac Junior High School usually go on to attend Pontiac High School

Pontiac Junior High School

Summary:

Pontiac Junior High School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Pontiac, Illinois, with 340 students. The school faces significant challenges, consistently performing below state averages in standardized test scores for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.

In the 2023-2024 school year, only 30.8% of Pontiac Junior High School students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 41.2%, and just 7.9% were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 28.4%. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 19.4% to 30.8% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, 52.94% of Pontiac Junior High School students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Lexington Junior High School, EPG Middle School, and Prairie Central Junior High School, Pontiac Junior High School generally underperforms. For example, Lexington Junior High School had 60.2% of students proficient or better in ELA and 30.6% proficient or better in Mathematics, significantly higher than Pontiac's results. Despite spending more per student ($15,750 in 2022-2023) than the nearby schools, Pontiac Junior High School's academic performance has been consistently low over the past several years, suggesting the need for a more comprehensive approach to improving educational outcomes for its students.

Detail:

Public 6-8

600 N Morrow St
Pontiac, IL 61764-1451

(815) 842-4343

District: Pontiac CCSD 429

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,163

Students who attend Pontiac Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Pontiac High School

Feeder schools for Pontiac Junior High School:

Elementary:	Central Elementary School
	Lincoln Elementary School
	Washington Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.6

Number of students: 324

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.0%

Hispanic:

17.9%

Two or more races:

6.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 54.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Pontiac Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pontiac Junior High School ranks worse than 70.8% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 26.58. (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: White (71%), Hispanic (17.9%), two or more races (6.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 54.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pontiac Junior High School is 11.6. (See more...)

Compare Pontiac Junior High School employs 27.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pontiac Junior High School is $16,163.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pontiac Junior High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Pontiac Junior High School 965^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Pontiac Junior High School in the ranking list.)

Middle 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:

Pontiac CCSD 429:

SchoolDigger ranks Pontiac CCSD 429 707^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Pontiac Junior High School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Pontiac Junior High School

Compare

Rank History for all students at Pontiac Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	54.20	614^th	1185	48.2%
2004	55.56	623^rd	1204	48.3%
2005	50.60	710^th	1209	41.3%
2006	45.69	806^th	1272	36.6%
2007	46.94	810^th	1287	37.1%
2008	70.49	406^th	1293	68.6%
2009	72.25	369^th	1318	72.0%
2010	76.18	289^th	1327	78.2%
2011	67.55	486^th	1344	63.8%
2012	69.73	419^th	1365	69.3%
2013	60.34	543^rd	1367	60.3%
2014	39.33	830^th	1322	37.2%
2015	33.30	843^rd	1302	35.3%
2016	44.70	659^th	1294	49.1%
2017	35.39	814^th	1293	37.0%
2018	41.21	724^th	1293	44.0%
2019	31.82	911^th	1356	32.8%
2021	21.43	998^th	1241	19.6%
2022	18.95	1128^th	1369	17.6%
2023	23.34	1039^th	1367	24.0%
2024	26.58	965^th	1363	29.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Pontiac Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.82	350^th	602	41.9%
2019	33.98	481^st	792	39.3%
2021	25.59	501^st	548	8.6%
2022	33.67	510^th	781	34.7%
2023	23.07	694^th	805	13.8%
2024	23.62	672^nd	802	16.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pontiac Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	39.03	714^th	1161	38.5%
2019	31.23	884^th	1217	27.4%
2021	24.54	839^th	1019	17.7%
2022	26.50	947^th	1221	22.4%
2023	25.07	986^th	1234	20.1%
2024	22.11	1025^th	1219	15.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Pontiac Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	36.22	768^th	1226	37.4%
2019	27.97	939^th	1276	26.4%
2021	17.36	892^nd	1017	12.3%
2022	20.06	1059^th	1286	17.7%
2023	24.46	956^th	1275	25.0%
2024	27.49	889^th	1251	28.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Pontiac Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.21	497^th	674	26.3%
2024	27.18	508^th	639	20.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Pontiac Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	45.93	616^th	1223	49.6%
2019	36.15	782^nd	1296	39.7%
2021	22.92	844^th	1048	19.5%
2022	18.99	1073^rd	1286	16.6%
2023	22.54	1011^th	1292	21.7%
2024	25.88	908^th	1264	28.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pontiac Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	16.32	599^th	639	6.3%
2021	30.55	387^th	517	25.1%
2022	21.78	572^nd	662	13.6%
2023	25.07	532^nd	661	19.5%
2024	18.54	569^th	643	11.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Pontiac Junior High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	22.98	729^th	889	18.0%
2019	14.25	824^th	905	9.0%
2021	11.06	777^th	813	4.4%
2022	8.10	875^th	898	2.6%
2023	11.21	849^th	895	5.1%
2024	14.34	788^th	875	9.9%

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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Pontiac Junior High School.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Pontiac Junior High School, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Pontiac Junior High School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	258	3	n/a	10	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	271
1990	248	6	n/a	12	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	266
1991	258	9	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	278
1992	229	6	0	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	245
1993	271	5	0	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	292
1994	431	6	2	16	2	n/a	n/a	0	457
1995	443	9	3	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	469
1996	443	9	3	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	469
1997	424	11	1	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	448
1998	406	10	2	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	430
1999	426	8	6	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	453
2000	409	13	3	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	441
2001	452	15	4	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	481
2002	417	18	3	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	460
2003	417	18	3	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	460
2004	408	26	6	26	0	n/a	n/a	0	466
2005	392	14	5	18	2	n/a	n/a	30	461
2006	381	13	4	14	1	n/a	n/a	31	444
2007	362	15	4	15	1	n/a	n/a	30	427
2008	365	12	5	13	0	n/a	n/a	28	423
2009	338	9	3	20	0	n/a	n/a	23	393
2010	343	8	3	17	0	n/a	n/a	26	397
2011	341	6	4	33	2	0	14	0	400
2012	343	10	2	35	3	0	12	0	405
2013	346	12	2	43	3	0	10	0	416
2014	320	16	1	33	3	0	15	0	388
2015	301	16	1	38	4	0	21	0	381
2016	290	12	1	28	0	0	19	0	350
2017	313	15	2	28	0	0	20	0	378
2018	310	12	3	24	0	0	18	0	367
2019	316	11	5	38	0	0	31	0	401
2020	292	14	4	44	1	0	30	0	385
2021	288	21	3	50	1	0	22	0	385
2022	252	16	0	58	1	0	20	0	347
2023	245	15	1	61	0	0	17	1	340
2024	230	14	1	58	0	0	21	0	324

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 Pontiac Junior High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	271	19.0	14.2	n/a
1990	266	19.0	14.0	n/a
1991	278	19.6	14.1	n/a
1992	245	14.0	17.5	n/a
1993	292	17.0	17.2	n/a
1994	457	25.0	18.3	n/a
1995	469	27.0	17.4	n/a
1996	469	27.0	17.4	n/a
1997	448	27.0	16.6	n/a
1998	430	31.7	13.6	n/a
1999	453	32.7	13.9	n/a
2000	441	31.7	13.9	n/a
2001	481	31.7	15.2	n/a
2002	460	34.7	13.3	40.7
2003	460	34.7	13.3	40.7
2004	466	32.7	14.3	45.1
2005	461	33.7	13.7	48.5
2006	444	28.7	15.5	44.6
2007	427	23.0	18.6	46.1
2008	423	21.0	20.1	44.8
2009	393	29.0	13.6	39.7
2010	397	28.0	14.1	43.1
2011	400	23.0	17.3	43
2012	405	24.0	16.8	48.9
2013	416	23.0	18.0	51
2014	388	n/a	n/a	49
2015	381	26.0	14.6	56.4
2016	350	30.0	11.6	45.7
2017	378	29.0	13.0	51.3
2018	367	28.7	12.7	49
2019	401	30.5	13.1	43.9
2020	385	28.5	13.5	46
2021	385	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	347	27.2	12.7	51.6
2023	340	29.9	11.3	52.9
2024	324	27.7	11.6	54.6

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 Pontiac Junior High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	271	19.0	14.2	n/a
1990	266	19.0	14.0	n/a
1991	278	19.6	14.1	n/a
1992	245	14.0	17.5	n/a
1993	292	17.0	17.2	n/a
1994	457	25.0	18.3	n/a
1995	469	27.0	17.4	n/a
1996	469	27.0	17.4	n/a
1997	448	27.0	16.6	n/a
1998	430	31.7	13.6	n/a
1999	453	32.7	13.9	n/a
2000	441	31.7	13.9	n/a
2001	481	31.7	15.2	n/a
2002	460	34.7	13.3	40.7
2003	460	34.7	13.3	40.7
2004	466	32.7	14.3	45.1
2005	461	33.7	13.7	48.5
2006	444	28.7	15.5	44.6
2007	427	23.0	18.6	46.1
2008	423	21.0	20.1	44.8
2009	393	29.0	13.6	39.7
2010	397	28.0	14.1	43.1
2011	400	23.0	17.3	43
2012	405	24.0	16.8	48.9
2013	416	23.0	18.0	51
2014	388	n/a	n/a	49
2015	381	26.0	14.6	56.4
2016	350	30.0	11.6	45.7
2017	378	29.0	13.0	51.3
2018	367	28.7	12.7	49
2019	401	30.5	13.1	43.9
2020	385	28.5	13.5	46
2021	385	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	347	27.2	12.7	51.6
2023	340	29.9	11.3	52.9
2024	324	27.7	11.6	54.6

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