Is West Middle School a good school?

West Middle School ranks in the bottom 11.5% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend West Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 849 students attended West Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of West Middle School?

Students at West Middle School are 49% African American, 23% White, 17% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of West Middle School attend?

Students who attend West Middle School usually go on to attend Auburn High School

West Middle School

Summary:

West Middle School is a public middle school located in Rockford, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 849 students. The school is part of the Rockford School District 205, which is ranked 737 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Unfortunately, West Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Illinois middle schools over the past several years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the recent school years.

West Middle School has struggled with significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 54.5% to 76.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's academic performance, as measured by the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, is consistently well below the state and district averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 20.1% of students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 41.2% statewide and 23% for the Rockford School District 205. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate was just 4%, compared to 28.4% statewide and 12.8% for the district. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with relatively better rankings for English Language Learner (ELL) students but lower rankings for other subgroups, such as White, Multi-racial, and Homeless students.

When comparing West Middle School to other nearby schools within the Rockford School District 205, such as Bernard W. Flinn Middle School and Eisenhower Middle School, it performs significantly worse in terms of academic achievement and chronic absenteeism. Additionally, West Middle School has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 74.56% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year, which likely contributes to the school's challenges. Despite increased spending per student, from $12,495 in the 2020-2021 school year to $17,102 in the 2022-2023 school year, these investments have not yet translated into significant improvements in student outcomes.

Detail:

Public 6-8

1900 N Rockton Ave
Rockford, IL 61103-4370

(815) 966-3200

District: Rockford School District 205

SchoolDigger Rank:
1206^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,511

Students who attend West Middle School usually attend:

High:

Auburn High School

Feeder schools for West Middle School:

Elementary:	Conklin Elementary School
	R K Welsh Elementary School
	West View Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 19.8

Number of students: 849

Racial breakdown:

African American:

49.0%

White:

22.7%

Hispanic:

16.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 74.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare West Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details West Middle School ranks worse than 88.5% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks 4^th among 7 ranked middle schools in the Rockford School District 205. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 15.95. (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 West Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Rockford School District 205. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Middle School is $18,511, which is the 2^nd highest among 7 middle schools in the Rockford School District 205.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

West Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks West Middle School 1206^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See West Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Rockford School District 205:

SchoolDigger ranks Rockford School District 205 737^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for West Middle School

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Rank History for all students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	37.82	792^nd	1185	33.2%
2004	38.30	806^th	1204	33.1%
2005	38.84	816^th	1209	32.5%
2006	48.44	770^th	1272	39.5%
2007	42.38	865^th	1287	32.8%
2008	23.26	1055^th	1293	18.4%
2009	1.76	1301^st	1318	1.3%
2010	0.53	1324^th	1327	0.2%
2011	0.39	1344^th	1344	0.0%
2012	0.64	1363^rd	1365	0.1%
2013	6.48	1315^th	1367	3.8%
2014	7.83	1262^nd	1322	4.5%
2015	26.48	961^st	1302	26.2%
2016	20.77	1081^st	1294	16.5%
2017	15.77	1138^th	1293	12.0%
2018	17.17	1109^th	1293	14.2%
2019	15.56	1183^rd	1356	12.8%
2021	17.35	1077^th	1241	13.2%
2022	18.74	1136^th	1369	17.0%
2023	14.38	1247^th	1367	8.8%
2024	15.95	1206^th	1363	11.5%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.36	134^th	164	18.3%
2019	13.28	162^nd	179	9.5%
2021	13.91	92^nd	97	5.2%
2022	15.12	177^th	195	9.2%
2023	11.40	188^th	194	3.1%
2024	12.70	173^rd	184	6.0%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	28.73	310^th	339	8.6%
2021	43.55	129^th	277	53.4%
2022	57.51	92^nd	454	79.7%
2023	51.86	145^th	480	69.8%
2024	87.26	14^th	486	97.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.25	476^th	602	20.9%
2019	25.53	678^th	792	14.4%
2021	31.69	385^th	548	29.7%
2022	27.98	633^rd	781	19.0%
2023	21.81	724^th	805	10.1%
2024	24.23	659^th	802	17.8%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.05	1029^th	1161	11.4%
2019	17.35	1110^th	1217	8.8%
2021	22.31	883^rd	1019	13.3%
2022	20.15	1088^th	1221	10.9%
2023	17.17	1143^rd	1234	7.4%
2024	19.84	1061^st	1219	13.0%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	30.64	29^th	36	19.4%
2021	32.59	3^rd	4	25.0%
2022	31.79	27^th	34	20.6%
2023	30.82	39^th	53	26.4%
2024	21.78	69^th	70	1.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	15.46	1080^th	1226	11.9%
2019	15.92	1109^th	1276	13.1%
2021	16.15	907^th	1017	10.8%
2022	20.58	1042^nd	1286	19.0%
2023	16.28	1116^th	1275	12.5%
2024	17.01	1077^th	1251	13.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	24.44	570^th	674	15.4%
2024	30.41	464^th	639	27.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.29	1026^th	1223	16.1%
2019	15.77	1148^th	1296	11.4%
2021	15.08	965^th	1048	7.9%
2022	17.71	1111^th	1286	13.6%
2023	12.67	1223^rd	1292	5.3%
2024	14.96	1152^nd	1264	8.9%

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

Rank History for African American students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.89	439^th	511	14.1%
2019	23.48	494^th	565	12.6%
2021	29.72	294^th	385	23.6%
2022	25.98	498^th	573	13.1%
2023	22.20	517^th	569	9.1%
2024	21.63	492^nd	548	10.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.90	488^th	590	17.3%
2019	27.52	502^nd	639	21.4%
2021	21.02	456^th	517	11.8%
2022	28.08	503^rd	662	24.0%
2023	18.78	594^th	661	10.1%
2024	35.52	403^rd	643	37.3%

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

Rank History for White students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	14.24	817^th	889	8.1%
2019	10.37	856^th	905	5.4%
2021	15.05	738^th	813	9.2%
2022	17.48	792^nd	898	11.8%
2023	11.42	846^th	895	5.5%
2024	12.67	802^nd	875	8.3%

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 West Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1990	941	358	21	42	3	n/a	n/a	0	1365
1991	996	352	20	44	0	n/a	n/a	0	1412
1992	956	400	19	58	2	n/a	n/a	0	1435
1993	856	447	33	70	4	n/a	n/a	0	1410
1994	793	413	39	66	7	n/a	n/a	0	1318
1995	708	457	20	48	5	n/a	n/a	0	1238
1996	708	457	20	48	5	n/a	n/a	0	1238
1997	624	417	27	70	1	n/a	n/a	0	1139
1998	460	344	26	67	2	n/a	n/a	0	899
1999	479	384	35	88	3	n/a	n/a	0	989
2000	435	309	42	83	1	n/a	n/a	0	870
2001	356	293	35	66	2	n/a	n/a	0	752
2002	361	353	59	72	3	n/a	n/a	0	848
2003	361	353	59	72	3	n/a	n/a	0	848
2004	387	345	53	68	5	n/a	n/a	0	858
2005	396	375	54	76	3	n/a	n/a	9	913
2006	351	297	45	69	2	n/a	n/a	15	779
2007	360	311	58	71	2	n/a	n/a	27	829
2008	351	440	60	95	2	n/a	n/a	47	995
2009	137	398	31	58	4	n/a	n/a	30	658
2010	121	389	38	65	2	n/a	n/a	32	647
2011	102	363	58	56	3	0	20	0	602
2012	162	336	61	74	0	0	28	0	661
2013	210	378	11	114	1	0	50	0	764
2014	250	373	9	138	2	0	68	0	840
2015	260	361	8	166	1	2	61	0	859
2016	252	390	3	170	0	1	71	0	887
2017	249	393	5	165	1	0	74	0	887
2018	241	400	5	138	4	0	89	0	877
2019	232	466	6	142	2	0	82	0	930
2020	238	484	8	152	1	0	85	0	968
2021	246	484	7	170	1	0	90	0	998
2022	218	464	7	166	3	0	94	0	952
2023	193	416	7	142	3	0	88	0	849

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 West Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	1365	85.6	15.9	n/a
1991	1412	93.3	15.1	n/a
1992	1435	95.0	15.1	n/a
1993	1410	94.3	15.0	n/a
1994	1318	91.8	14.4	n/a
1995	1238	82.4	15.0	n/a
1996	1238	82.4	15.0	n/a
1997	1139	79.9	14.3	n/a
1998	899	64.0	14.0	n/a
1999	989	58.2	17.0	n/a
2000	870	57.6	15.1	n/a
2001	752	54.0	13.9	n/a
2002	848	57.0	14.9	55.4
2003	848	57.0	14.9	55.4
2004	858	57.2	15.0	52.4
2005	913	47.7	19.1	60.7
2006	779	49.0	15.9	60.5
2007	829	44.0	18.8	64.5
2008	995	52.0	19.1	72.7
2009	658	43.4	15.2	98.1
2010	647	44.0	14.7	100.2
2011	602	36.8	16.3	95.3
2012	661	44.6	14.7	94.3
2013	764	55.5	13.7	92
2014	840	60.5	13.8	89
2015	859	59.0	14.5	89.2
2016	887	60.0	14.7	66.5
2017	887	60.8	14.5	56.8
2018	877	58.4	15.0	62.7
2019	930	66.8	13.9	73.3
2020	968	66.2	14.6	74.7
2021	998	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	952	57.9	16.4	57.1
2023	849	42.7	19.8	74.6

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 West Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	1365	85.6	15.9	n/a
1991	1412	93.3	15.1	n/a
1992	1435	95.0	15.1	n/a
1993	1410	94.3	15.0	n/a
1994	1318	91.8	14.4	n/a
1995	1238	82.4	15.0	n/a
1996	1238	82.4	15.0	n/a
1997	1139	79.9	14.3	n/a
1998	899	64.0	14.0	n/a
1999	989	58.2	17.0	n/a
2000	870	57.6	15.1	n/a
2001	752	54.0	13.9	n/a
2002	848	57.0	14.9	55.4
2003	848	57.0	14.9	55.4
2004	858	57.2	15.0	52.4
2005	913	47.7	19.1	60.7
2006	779	49.0	15.9	60.5
2007	829	44.0	18.8	64.5
2008	995	52.0	19.1	72.7
2009	658	43.4	15.2	98.1
2010	647	44.0	14.7	100.2
2011	602	36.8	16.3	95.3
2012	661	44.6	14.7	94.3
2013	764	55.5	13.7	92
2014	840	60.5	13.8	89
2015	859	59.0	14.5	89.2
2016	887	60.0	14.7	66.5
2017	887	60.8	14.5	56.8
2018	877	58.4	15.0	62.7
2019	930	66.8	13.9	73.3
2020	968	66.2	14.6	74.7
2021	998	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	952	57.9	16.4	57.1
2023	849	42.7	19.8	74.6

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.

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