All three Consolidated High School District 230 high schools - Carl Sandburg, Amos Alonzo Stagg, and Victor J. Andrew - earned a Commendable designation on the 2024-25 Illinois School Report Card.

The top rating—Exemplary—is reserved for the top 10% of schools in Illinois and is based on a complex analysis of performance data. This year, the threshold for Exemplary was 93.02. District 230 schools performed as follows:

• Sandburg: 92.66
• Andrew: 92.64
• Stagg: 89.27

Andrew and Sandburg were less than a half-point shy of reaching Exemplary status and joining the top 10%. While Stagg falls among the top 20% of schools across the state.

Impressively, all three schools closed the gap toward Exemplary compared to last year, meaning District 230 schools are catching up to the state’s highest performers.

All three schools also saw year-over-year gains in overall performance:

• Sandburg: 90.57 → +2.07 points
• Andrew: 90.34 → +2.25 points
• Stagg: 85.12 → +4.15 points

Areas identified for continued growth among all three schools include Chronic Absenteeism and English Learner (EL) Proficiency. Chronic Absenteeism remains a key target in the District Framework, while a targeted EL program review is underway to strengthen student outcomes on ACCESS assessments.

The state board collects data on a range of “accountability indicators” for each public school, assigning a score out of 100 for each indicator. Those indicator scores are weighted and added together to determine a school’s overall score. 

Half of the Index Score is based on how many students earn a diploma. District 230 schools perform exceptionally well in this category with an average of 95.2%, which is well above the state average of 89% and the first time D230 is above 95% since 2020.

Districtwide Freshmen on Track numbers increased by 3% last year, landing at an all-time high for the District at 96.8% of 9th graders having earned at least five full-year course credits and failed no more than one semester core course. 9th Grade on Track is a key predictor of high school success. Students who finish their freshman year on track are almost four times as likely to graduate from high school as students who are not on track. 

Freshmen on Track is one of five critical areas the district is focusing on as part of its multi-year Strategic Framework. At both the district and school level, staff are focusing on specific interventions and credit recovery models to proactively address students at the earliest signs of struggle and find ways to stay on track with continued progress in all coursework.

Chronic absenteeism, defined as students who miss 10% of the school year, or roughly 17 days, accounts for 10% of a school’s overall Index Score. Chronic absenteeism post-COVID has averaged about 20%, significantly higher than pre-pandemic numbers. D230 saw minimal gains in reducing chronic absenteeism last year. However, this year, the district hopes to make improvements with its new attendance policy by reintroducing Unexcused Absences, providing academic and loss-of-privileges consequences for Unexcused Absences, and identifying various incentives for good attendance. Comparing data from the start of school through October, absences have decreased by 7% compared to the same period last year—a positive trend the district hopes will continue throughout the year. A key indicator of student success, addressing absenteeism is another major component of the district’s Strategic Framework and an area that greatly impacts a school’s overall rating. 

Superintendent Dr. Robert Nolting noted that students succeed in part thanks to the dedication of teachers and staff who put students first every day. The district’s partnership with parents and the community is key to curbing tardiness and absenteeism while continuing to build on students’ strong academic performance.

While summative designations provide a snapshot of school performance, Dr. Nolting noted they don’t capture the full picture. “Our true focus is ensuring every student has a positive experience and is ready for success beyond graduation,” he said. “Through our comprehensive, data-informed Strategic Framework, we’re constantly working to improve in more than 15 key areas identified by our stakeholders. I’m incredibly proud of our faculty and staff for their unwavering dedication to our students’ growth and success.”