Dupage Policy Journal

Nearly 4 in 10 DuPage County public high school students aren't at grade level in math.

That's according to a DuPage Policy Journal analysis of 2023 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 39% of DuPage County's 1,197 public high school students — approximately 466 students — failed the math 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.

Out of the two DuPage County schools, Naperville North High School (47.5%) had the highest failure rate in the county. Hinsdale Central High School (29.9%) had the lowest.

Countywide, math test failure rates fell from 53.1% in 2021 to 39% in 2023.

Statewide, failure rates increased the most in Wayne County, Greene County, Sangamon County, Pike County, and Pulaski County, where the percentage of students who failed the math exam rose to 74.1%, 86.4%, 95.6%, 96.7%, and 100%, respectively.

Hinsdale Central High School were the only DuPage County high schools to see math scores improve between 2021 and 2023.

Statewide, 75.6% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state math exam, up from 64% in 2021.

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 2021	Failing % in 2022	Failing % in 2023
Naperville North High School	618	47.6%	46.1%	47.5%
Hinsdale Central High School	579	86%	90.8%	29.9%