West Central Reporter

In the 2023-24 school year, 9.2% of the students in Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170 passed the Math portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 240 students in Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170 who took the Math portion of the test, approximately 22 (9.2%) passed.

The percentage of Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170 students who met or exceeded expectations on the IAR decreased by 5.1% compared to the previous school year.

Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170 roughly covers three schools within McDonough County and has a main office in Bushnell.

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.

School	District	Students who met standards (%)	Students who exceed standards (%)
Bushnell-Prairie City Junior High School	Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170	10.1%	0.8%
Bushnell-Prairie City Elementary School	Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170	7.4%	0%