Is Zion-Benton Township High School a good school?

Zion-Benton Township High School ranks 494 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Zion-Benton Township High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 2,159 students attended Zion-Benton Township High School.

What is the racial makeup of Zion-Benton Township High School?

Students at Zion-Benton Township High School are 55% Hispanic, 23% African American, 14% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% Asian.

What schools feed into Zion-Benton Township High School?

Zion-Benton Township High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Beulah Park Elementary School Elementary : East Elementary School Elementary : Elmwood Elementary School Elementary : Howe Elementary School Elementary : Kenneth Murphy School Elementary : Newport Elementary School Elementary : Oak Crest School Elementary : West Elementary School Elementary : Westfield School Middle : Beach Park Middle School Middle : North Prairie Junior High Middle : Zion Central Middle School

Zion-Benton Township High School

Summary:

Zion-Benton Township High School is a public high school serving 2,113 students in grades 9-12 in Zion, Illinois, which is part of the Zion-Benton Township HSD 126 district. The school faces significant challenges, with consistently below-average academic performance, high dropout rates, and chronic absenteeism issues.

Zion-Benton Township High School's academic performance lags behind the state average, with only 7.6% of 11th graders proficient or better in SAT Math and 16% proficient or better in SAT English Language Arts, compared to state averages of 26.1% and 31.1%, respectively. The school's graduation rate has improved, but its dropout rate remains high, ranging from 2.9% to 7.4% over the past few years. Chronic absenteeism is also a major concern, with rates ranging from 20.4% to 42.2%. These issues are likely exacerbated by the school's high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, suggesting a relatively low-income student population.

When compared to nearby schools, such as New Technical High - Zion-Benton East, Grayslake North High School, Lakes Community High School, and Warren Township High School, the performance gap is quite significant, with these schools generally outperforming Zion-Benton Township High School in academic achievement, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. Addressing the root causes of these issues, such as ineffective instructional practices and lack of student engagement, will be crucial for the school to improve and better serve its community.

Detail:

Public 9-12

3901 21st St
Zion, IL 60099-1476

(847) 731-9303

District: Zion-Benton Township HSD 126

SchoolDigger Rank:
494^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,619

Feeder schools for Zion-Benton Township High School:

Elementary:	Beulah Park Elementary School
	East Elementary School
	Elmwood Elementary School
	Howe Elementary School
	More...
	Kenneth Murphy School
	Newport Elementary School
	Oak Crest School
	West Elementary School
	Westfield School
Middle:	Beach Park Middle School
	North Prairie Junior High
	Zion Central Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.3

Number of students: 2,159

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.7%

African American:

23.4%

White:

13.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 53.9%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Zion-Benton Township High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Zion-Benton Township High School ranks worse than 70.9% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 27.35. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Zion-Benton Township High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

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 Student population at Zion-Benton Township High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (54.7%), African American (23.4%), White (13.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 53.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Zion-Benton Township High School is 15.3. (See more...)

Compare Zion-Benton Township High School employs 140.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Zion-Benton Township High School is $20,619.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Zion-Benton Township High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Zion-Benton Township High School 494^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Zion-Benton Township High School in the ranking list.)

High 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:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Native American students:

White students:

Zion-Benton Township HSD 126:

SchoolDigger ranks Zion-Benton Township HSD 126 740^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Zion-Benton Township High School?

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Rank History for Zion-Benton Township High School

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Rank History for all students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	32.89	458^th	586	21.8%
2004	28.76	474^th	592	19.9%
2005	37.66	438^th	590	25.8%
2006	31.08	460^th	596	22.8%
2007	38.82	424^th	612	30.7%
2008	32.03	473^rd	624	24.2%
2009	43.33	410^th	632	35.1%
2010	42.09	439^th	643	31.7%
2011	27.24	506^th	655	22.7%
2012	21.57	540^th	665	18.8%
2013	26.16	520^th	670	22.4%
2014	28.13	513^th	670	23.4%
2015	35.21	377^th	614	38.6%
2016	27.62	487^th	643	24.3%
2017	30.74	464^th	642	27.7%
2018	28.46	484^th	647	25.2%
2019	28.61	512^th	701	27.0%
2021	27.14	495^th	688	28.1%
2022	24.46	531^st	699	24.0%
2023	19.20	570^th	699	18.5%
2024	27.35	494^th	697	29.1%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.16	122^nd	154	20.8%
2019	16.56	142^nd	165	13.9%
2021	16.02	132^nd	160	17.5%
2022	25.95	122^nd	170	28.2%
2023	19.73	130^th	163	20.2%
2024	14.28	163^rd	182	10.4%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	38.74	77^th	151	49.0%
2019	43.23	81^st	183	55.7%
2021	32.79	86^th	189	54.5%
2022	25.85	186^th	205	9.3%
2023	34.63	137^th	217	36.9%
2024	28.56	158^th	248	36.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	40.99	173^rd	374	53.7%
2019	37.22	238^th	473	49.7%
2021	32.22	264^th	453	41.7%
2022	31.21	286^th	493	42.0%
2023	31.17	286^th	476	39.9%
2024	22.00	376^th	482	22.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.23	423^rd	585	27.7%
2019	28.39	478^th	639	25.2%
2021	30.24	438^th	611	28.3%
2022	22.90	507^th	626	19.0%
2023	19.69	540^th	644	16.1%
2024	25.26	484^th	639	24.3%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	63.34	20^th	104	80.8%
2024	25.74	68^th	125	45.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.84	438^th	620	29.4%
2019	29.26	473^rd	665	28.9%
2021	24.96	471^st	639	26.3%
2022	24.30	498^th	658	24.3%
2023	20.29	529^th	656	19.4%
2024	28.95	454^th	664	31.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	44.08	194^th	428	54.7%
2024	29.75	256^th	429	40.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.38	491^st	619	20.7%
2019	27.50	495^th	675	26.7%
2021	28.13	460^th	653	29.6%
2022	24.19	506^th	664	23.8%
2023	17.72	560^th	668	16.2%
2024	25.57	477^th	668	28.6%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.28	98^th	132	25.8%
2019	22.08	105^th	130	19.2%
2022	48.20	81^st	141	42.6%
2024	73.57	41^st	137	70.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.73	148^th	253	41.5%
2019	33.83	175^th	299	41.5%
2021	38.34	143^rd	281	49.1%
2022	27.93	208^th	294	29.3%
2023	27.27	221^st	301	26.6%
2024	36.41	160^th	299	46.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.92	203^rd	291	30.2%
2019	34.12	207^th	317	34.7%
2021	31.49	214^th	317	32.5%
2022	23.66	259^th	335	22.7%
2023	19.62	288^th	333	13.5%
2024	24.15	264^th	336	21.4%

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

Rank History for Native American students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	26.21	2^nd	3	33.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Zion-Benton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	44.36	280^th	548	48.9%
2019	35.76	340^th	552	38.4%
2021	34.75	329^th	553	40.5%
2022	49.99	261^st	560	53.4%
2023	36.67	338^th	557	39.3%
2024	49.60	231^st	554	58.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High 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 Zion-Benton Township High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	763	131	16	30	13	n/a	n/a	0	953
1989	1439	312	28	65	21	n/a	n/a	0	1865
1990	1391	329	25	71	27	n/a	n/a	0	1843
1991	1343	342	24	101	22	n/a	n/a	0	1832
1992	1390	346	34	107	16	n/a	n/a	0	1893
1993	1412	331	41	126	24	n/a	n/a	0	1934
1994	1424	339	36	139	20	n/a	n/a	0	1958
1995	1396	404	46	164	18	n/a	n/a	0	2028
1996	1396	404	46	164	18	n/a	n/a	0	2028
1997	1383	409	44	187	15	n/a	n/a	0	2038
1998	1355	413	40	208	17	n/a	n/a	0	2033
1999	1315	453	39	215	26	n/a	n/a	0	2048
2000	1321	447	49	239	26	n/a	n/a	0	2082
2001	1351	451	51	252	27	n/a	n/a	0	2132
2002	1338	533	40	328	19	n/a	n/a	0	2258
2003	1338	533	40	328	19	n/a	n/a	0	2258
2004	1364	608	55	355	14	n/a	n/a	0	2396
2005	1281	711	52	416	14	n/a	n/a	0	2474
2006	1260	778	62	468	13	n/a	n/a	0	2581
2007	1182	830	73	545	11	n/a	n/a	10	2651
2008	1144	891	75	578	9	n/a	n/a	1	2698
2009	1088	861	72	631	7	n/a	n/a	97	2756
2010	997	794	67	589	6	n/a	n/a	125	2578
2011	877	740	60	699	12	3	120	0	2511
2012	800	687	64	732	14	2	107	0	2406
2013	761	678	53	758	14	2	92	0	2358
2014	683	676	51	776	22	2	101	0	2311
2015	616	694	51	847	23	3	104	0	2338
2016	591	693	56	891	21	2	96	0	2350
2017	543	632	56	925	15	1	92	0	2264
2018	493	589	50	996	13	1	93	0	2235
2019	398	583	51	1047	7	1	125	0	2212
2020	372	564	39	1055	3	0	116	0	2149
2021	352	606	33	1118	10	0	106	0	2225
2022	321	606	35	1123	33	1	90	0	2209
2023	339	534	32	1097	30	1	80	0	2113
2024	298	506	26	1182	42	5	100	0	2159

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 Zion-Benton Township High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	953	52.0	18.3	n/a
1989	1865	110.0	16.9	n/a
1990	1843	108.0	17.0	n/a
1991	1832	111.0	16.5	n/a
1992	1893	111.9	16.9	n/a
1993	1934	110.0	17.6	n/a
1994	1958	110.0	17.8	n/a
1995	2028	110.0	18.4	n/a
1996	2028	110.0	18.4	n/a
1997	2038	108.9	18.7	n/a
1998	2033	114.0	17.8	n/a
1999	2048	112.0	18.3	n/a
2000	2082	112.0	18.6	n/a
2001	2132	113.0	18.9	n/a
2002	2258	116.3	19.4	19
2003	2258	116.3	19.4	19
2004	2396	125.8	19.0	24.5
2005	2474	132.4	18.7	28.1
2006	2581	131.4	19.6	31.2
2007	2651	136.0	19.5	34.6
2008	2698	121.0	22.3	35.7
2009	2756	136.8	20.1	38.9
2010	2578	141.0	18.2	48.1
2011	2511	147.6	17.0	49.2
2012	2406	139.9	17.1	51.5
2013	2358	143.3	16.4	53.1
2014	2311	136.0	16.9	55
2015	2338	137.0	17.0	62.2
2016	2350	137.0	17.1	59.7
2017	2264	137.0	16.5	60.3
2018	2235	140.3	15.9	62.1
2019	2212	146.4	15.1	57
2020	2149	143.9	14.9	55.7
2021	2225	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	2209	143.8	15.3	58.2
2023	2113	147.8	14.2	53.8
2024	2159	140.8	15.3	53.9

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 Zion-Benton Township High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	953	52.0	18.3	n/a
1989	1865	110.0	16.9	n/a
1990	1843	108.0	17.0	n/a
1991	1832	111.0	16.5	n/a
1992	1893	111.9	16.9	n/a
1993	1934	110.0	17.6	n/a
1994	1958	110.0	17.8	n/a
1995	2028	110.0	18.4	n/a
1996	2028	110.0	18.4	n/a
1997	2038	108.9	18.7	n/a
1998	2033	114.0	17.8	n/a
1999	2048	112.0	18.3	n/a
2000	2082	112.0	18.6	n/a
2001	2132	113.0	18.9	n/a
2002	2258	116.3	19.4	19
2003	2258	116.3	19.4	19
2004	2396	125.8	19.0	24.5
2005	2474	132.4	18.7	28.1
2006	2581	131.4	19.6	31.2
2007	2651	136.0	19.5	34.6
2008	2698	121.0	22.3	35.7
2009	2756	136.8	20.1	38.9
2010	2578	141.0	18.2	48.1
2011	2511	147.6	17.0	49.2
2012	2406	139.9	17.1	51.5
2013	2358	143.3	16.4	53.1
2014	2311	136.0	16.9	55
2015	2338	137.0	17.0	62.2
2016	2350	137.0	17.1	59.7
2017	2264	137.0	16.5	60.3
2018	2235	140.3	15.9	62.1
2019	2212	146.4	15.1	57
2020	2149	143.9	14.9	55.7
2021	2225	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	2209	143.8	15.3	58.2
2023	2113	147.8	14.2	53.8
2024	2159	140.8	15.3	53.9

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