That's according to a DuPage Policy Journal analysis of 2022 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 70.8 percent of Kane County's 8,640 public high school students failed the English language arts portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and have "minimal (or) incomplete… understanding of the knowledge and skills relative to Illinois Learning Standards."
Students can achieve four proficiencies in their subjects (partially met, approaching, meets, and exceeds standards). This report concludes students who partially met or approached the standards have failed in the subject.
East High School (91.8 percent), Larkin High School (89.9 percent) and Elgin High School (87.4 percent) had the highest failure rates in Kane County. Saint Charles East High School (48.1 percent) and Geneva Community High School (43.5 percent) had the lowest.
Of 16 Kane County high schools, only three -- Saint Charles North High School, Saint Charles East High School, Geneva Community High School had passing rates of more than 50 percent.
County-wide, English test failure rates rose from 64.9 percent in 2019 to 70.8 percent in 2022.
The failure rate increased at 13 Kane County high schools in 2022, with the most significant increase happening at Streamwood High School (83.1 percent).
Failure rates rose the most at Cook County (100 percent), Marion County (100 percent), Peoria County (100 percent), Scott County (100 percent), Tazewell County (100 percent).
Statewide, 69.1 percent of Illinois students failed the 2022 state English exam, up from 64 percent in 2019.
The SAT test is administered to Illinois high school sophomores "to fulfill the requirement that students take an assessment for college and career readiness in order to receive a regular high school diploma."
| High School | # of Students | Failing % in 2019 | Failing % in 2021 | Failing % in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East High School | 977 | 84.3% | 88.3% | 91.8% |
| Larkin High School | 478 | 84.6% | 86% | 89.9% |
| Elgin High School | 592 | 81.6% | 84.8% | 87.4% |
| Streamwood High School | 450 | 73.3% | 73.5% | 83.1% |
| Dundee-Crown High School | 627 | 75.9% | 78.3% | 82% |
| West Aurora High School | 879 | 78.9% | 76.5% | 80.7% |
| Bartlett High School | 527 | 63.9% | 64.9% | 68.7% |
| South Elgin High School | 662 | 62.5% | 65.9% | 68.5% |
| Hampshire High School | 487 | 50% | 64.9% | 65.5% |
| Kaneland Senior High School | 306 | 56.2% | 56.2% | 63.7% |
| Harry D. Jacobs High School | 493 | 56.3% | 59.4% | 58.9% |
| Central High School | 304 | 49.5% | 54.8% | 53.7% |
| Batavia Senior High School | 469 | 48% | 54.7% | 50.9% |
| Saint Charles North High School | 471 | 42.4% | 45.9% | 49.5% |
| Saint Charles East High School | 514 | 49.4% | 44.8% | 48.1% |
| Geneva Community High School | 404 | 40.1% | 42% | 43.5% |
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