Every three years, the Heart of Illinois United Way highlights critical needs in its six-county Peoria region. Among the key education trends in its 2017 Community Assessment, released last month:
- More than 30 percent of area high schools had graduation rates below the state average (86%).
- More than 40 percent of third-grade and eighth-grade students were below the state average for English/Language PARCC test scores; nearly half of third graders and more than half of eighth graders were below the state average in Math.
- Thirty area school districts had more than one third of its students considered low-income—up 25 percent since 2013.
- Chronic truancy in the region is at 6.9 percent—below the state average (9.8%)—but four area school districts met or exceeded the state average.
- Continual student turnover can be academically and socially disruptive. While student mobility in the region is close to the state average, 18 school districts had higher rates.
Download the complete report and learn more at hoiunitedway.org.
