Is Jefferson Middle School a good school?

Jefferson Middle School ranks in the bottom 5.6% of Illinois middle schools.

How many students attend Jefferson Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 539 students attended Jefferson Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Middle School?

Students at Jefferson Middle School are 55% African American, 26% White, 14% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Jefferson Middle School attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Middle School usually go on to attend Springfield Southeast High School

Jefferson Middle School

Summary:

Jefferson Middle School is a public middle school located in Springfield, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 539 students. The school is part of the Springfield School District 186, which is ranked 675 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a rating of 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Jefferson Middle School faces significant challenges, particularly in student attendance and academic performance. The school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 58.3% in 2023-2024 to 76.4% in 2021-2022, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. Academically, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) are consistently lower than the state and district averages. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's ELA proficiency rate for all grades was 13.5%, compared to 25.9% for the district and 41.2% for the state. Similarly, the school's Mathematics proficiency rate for all grades was only 2.5%, compared to 16.5% for the district and 28.4% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as African American students and students with disabilities.

When comparing Jefferson Middle School to other nearby schools within the same district, such as U.S. Grant Middle School and Washington Middle School, the academic performance and attendance rates are generally lower at Jefferson Middle School. Additionally, the data includes information about Lincoln Magnet School, which is also part of the Springfield School District 186 and significantly outperforms Jefferson Middle School and the district as a whole. This suggests that the magnet school model may be more effective in improving academic outcomes. Despite the relatively high spending per student at Jefferson Middle School, the school's academic performance remains significantly lower than the state and district averages, indicating that a more comprehensive approach, including targeted interventions and support, may be necessary to address the school's challenges.

Detail:

Public 6-8

3001 S Allis St
Springfield, IL 62703-4208

(217) 585-5810

District: Springfield School District 186

SchoolDigger Rank:
1287^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $24,931

Students who attend Jefferson Middle School usually attend:

High:

Springfield Southeast High School

Feeder schools for Jefferson Middle School:

Elementary:	Black Hawk Elementary School
	Harvard Park Elementary School
	Hazel Dell Elementary School
	Laketown Elementary School
	More...
	Southern View Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.4

Number of students: 539

Racial breakdown:

African American:

55.3%

White:

26.2%

Two or more races:

14.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 78.5%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Jefferson Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Jefferson Middle School ranks worse than 94.4% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks 4^th among 5 ranked middle schools in the Springfield School District 186. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.09. (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 Jefferson Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Springfield School District 186. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Jefferson Middle School is $24,931, which is the 2^nd highest among 5 middle schools in the Springfield School District 186.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Jefferson Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Jefferson Middle School 1287^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Jefferson 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:

Springfield School District 186:

SchoolDigger ranks Springfield School District 186 675^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Jefferson Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Jefferson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	24.31	915^th	1185	22.8%
2004	17.38	983^rd	1204	18.4%
2005	23.89	944^th	1209	21.9%
2006	20.69	1052^nd	1272	17.3%
2007	11.44	1149^th	1287	10.7%
2008	12.48	1145^th	1293	11.4%
2009	12.54	1182^nd	1318	10.3%
2010	12.67	1192^nd	1327	10.2%
2011	8.09	1273^rd	1344	5.3%
2012	6.15	1311^th	1365	4.0%
2013	9.90	1278^th	1367	6.5%
2014	13.27	1199^th	1322	9.3%
2015	16.17	1144^th	1302	12.1%
2016	13.72	1197^th	1294	7.5%
2017	13.62	1184^th	1293	8.4%
2018	15.01	1145^th	1293	11.4%
2019	13.31	1237^th	1356	8.8%
2021	15.59	1115^th	1241	10.2%
2022	11.76	1329^th	1369	2.9%
2023	11.11	1320^th	1367	3.4%
2024	12.09	1287^th	1363	5.6%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Jefferson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.51	159^th	164	3.0%
2019	9.28	168^th	179	6.1%
2022	9.03	194^th	195	0.5%
2023	11.34	189^th	194	2.6%
2024	11.77	176^th	184	4.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Jefferson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.79	496^th	602	17.6%
2019	25.71	677^th	792	14.5%
2021	28.50	438^th	548	20.1%
2022	30.39	589^th	781	24.6%
2023	19.05	777^th	805	3.5%
2024	16.81	787^th	802	1.9%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	21.51	982^nd	1161	15.4%
2019	16.54	1124^th	1217	7.6%
2021	23.14	869^th	1019	14.7%
2022	13.90	1195^th	1221	2.1%
2023	13.76	1190^th	1234	3.6%
2024	14.98	1152^nd	1219	5.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Jefferson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	12.40	1137^th	1226	7.3%
2019	12.00	1186^th	1276	7.1%
2021	15.05	923^rd	1017	9.2%
2022	11.43	1245^th	1286	3.2%
2023	11.31	1221^st	1275	4.2%
2024	11.15	1201^st	1251	4.0%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Jefferson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.72	588^th	674	12.8%
2024	21.63	595^th	639	6.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Jefferson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.61	1037^th	1223	15.2%
2019	15.59	1156^th	1296	10.8%
2021	13.78	985^th	1048	6.0%
2022	13.32	1220^th	1286	5.1%
2023	12.05	1245^th	1292	3.6%
2024	14.45	1169^th	1264	7.5%

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

Rank History for African American students at Jefferson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	25.31	427^th	511	16.4%
2019	22.07	513^th	565	9.2%
2021	28.85	306^th	385	20.5%
2022	22.65	537^th	573	6.3%
2023	19.83	542^nd	569	4.7%
2024	20.99	501^st	548	8.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Jefferson Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	11.03	840^th	889	5.5%
2019	8.64	878^th	905	3.0%
2021	10.70	783^rd	813	3.7%
2022	5.33	890^th	898	0.9%
2023	5.70	885^th	895	1.1%
2024	6.05	860^th	875	1.7%

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 Jefferson Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	381	159	4	n/a	2	n/a	n/a	0	546
1990	369	155	6	n/a	1	n/a	n/a	0	531
1991	404	164	5	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	576
1992	428	166	4	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	602
1993	362	157	3	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	527
1994	315	158	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	480
1995	356	190	4	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	555
1996	356	190	4	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	555
1997	349	203	1	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	558
1998	325	182	6	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	517
1999	315	227	2	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	550
2000	287	233	2	4	2	n/a	n/a	0	528
2001	418	279	4	11	2	n/a	n/a	0	714
2002	427	292	8	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	738
2003	427	292	8	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	738
2004	431	290	6	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	743
2005	394	299	6	12	5	n/a	n/a	1	717
2006	345	326	6	14	5	n/a	n/a	12	708
2007	334	297	2	12	3	n/a	n/a	31	679
2008	298	265	4	17	1	n/a	n/a	24	609
2009	290	220	2	10	1	n/a	n/a	30	553
2010	273	230	3	18	1	n/a	n/a	44	569
2011	233	237	5	15	3	0	59	0	552
2012	220	246	6	11	2	0	58	0	543
2013	216	276	2	12	0	0	50	0	556
2014	228	318	2	15	1	0	46	0	610
2015	210	294	1	15	2	0	37	0	559
2016	177	307	3	17	2	0	53	0	559
2017	195	313	3	17	0	0	73	0	601
2018	184	287	4	18	0	1	67	0	561
2019	177	259	4	17	1	1	82	0	541
2020	191	294	2	17	0	1	70	0	575
2021	187	320	3	20	2	0	66	0	598
2022	165	325	3	17	0	1	64	0	575
2023	141	298	2	21	0	0	77	0	539

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 Jefferson Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	546	31.0	17.6	n/a
1990	531	33.0	16.0	n/a
1991	576	33.1	17.4	n/a
1992	602	35.5	16.9	n/a
1993	527	34.1	15.5	n/a
1994	480	32.6	14.7	n/a
1995	555	33.0	16.8	n/a
1996	555	33.0	16.8	n/a
1997	558	32.0	17.4	n/a
1998	517	31.0	16.7	n/a
1999	550	30.0	18.3	n/a
2000	528	31.7	16.7	n/a
2001	714	46.0	15.5	n/a
2002	738	40.0	18.5	68.2
2003	738	40.0	18.5	68.2
2004	743	39.4	18.9	68.4
2005	717	39.0	18.4	72.3
2006	708	42.0	16.9	74.9
2007	679	41.0	16.6	79.8
2008	609	36.0	16.9	79
2009	553	46.0	12.0	79.3
2010	569	47.0	12.1	86.1
2011	552	46.0	12.0	82.4
2012	543	46.0	11.8	67.4
2013	556	52.3	10.6	74.3
2014	610	42.5	14.3	82.8
2015	559	44.0	12.7	85.3
2016	559	43.0	13.0	73
2017	601	41.9	14.3	80.7
2018	561	42.9	13.0	83.1
2019	541	44.0	12.2	72.8
2020	575	41.0	14.0	74.8
2021	598	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	575	43.0	13.3	75
2023	539	40.0	13.4	78.5

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 Jefferson Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	546	31.0	17.6	n/a
1990	531	33.0	16.0	n/a
1991	576	33.1	17.4	n/a
1992	602	35.5	16.9	n/a
1993	527	34.1	15.5	n/a
1994	480	32.6	14.7	n/a
1995	555	33.0	16.8	n/a
1996	555	33.0	16.8	n/a
1997	558	32.0	17.4	n/a
1998	517	31.0	16.7	n/a
1999	550	30.0	18.3	n/a
2000	528	31.7	16.7	n/a
2001	714	46.0	15.5	n/a
2002	738	40.0	18.5	68.2
2003	738	40.0	18.5	68.2
2004	743	39.4	18.9	68.4
2005	717	39.0	18.4	72.3
2006	708	42.0	16.9	74.9
2007	679	41.0	16.6	79.8
2008	609	36.0	16.9	79
2009	553	46.0	12.0	79.3
2010	569	47.0	12.1	86.1
2011	552	46.0	12.0	82.4
2012	543	46.0	11.8	67.4
2013	556	52.3	10.6	74.3
2014	610	42.5	14.3	82.8
2015	559	44.0	12.7	85.3
2016	559	43.0	13.0	73
2017	601	41.9	14.3	80.7
2018	561	42.9	13.0	83.1
2019	541	44.0	12.2	72.8
2020	575	41.0	14.0	74.8
2021	598	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	575	43.0	13.3	75
2023	539	40.0	13.4	78.5

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.

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