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Dupage Policy Journal

Monday, May 19, 2025

Did Darien School District 61 students succeed or flounder in their 2023-24 school year ELA tests?

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Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website

Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website

In the 2023-24 school year, 47.9% of the students in Darien School District 61 passed the ELA portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 780 students in Darien School District 61 who took the ELA portion of the test, approximately 374 (47.9%) passed.

The percentage of Darien School District 61 students who met or exceeded expectations on the IAR increased by 7.9% compared to the previous school year.

Darien School District 61 roughly covers three schools within DuPage County and has a main office in Darien.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing toward state standards in English language arts and mathematics.

Recent IAR data shows that while Illinois students improved slightly in the test, math performance remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 28.4% of students met math benchmarks, compared to 31.8% in 2019. However, data also indicates a significant achievement gap based on race and ethnicity. 

The disparities were even more pronounced in math. White students achieved a proficiency rate of 38.7%, while Black students achieved 9.1% and Hispanic students 15.6%. Asian students achieved the highest proficiency rates in both subjects, hitting 68.2% in ELA and 61.4% in math.

Students Who Met or Exceeded Academic Standards in ELA During 2023-24 School Year
SchoolDistrictStudents who met standards (%)Students who exceed standards (%)
Lace Elementary SchoolDarien School District 6144%4.9%
Eisenhower Junior High SchoolDarien School District 6142.4%4.5%

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