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Schools›Illinois›Rockford
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ROCKFORD SD 205·NCES 173451003585

Jefferson High School

4145 Samuelson Rd, Rockford, IL 61109 · (815) 874-9536 · Winnebago County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,173 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 4% of Illinois public high schools
  • DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public high schools

Enrollment
2,173
High
DISTRICT 1,625 · STATE 834
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
111 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
70%
1,521 students
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 56%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 964630%
Grade 1055826%
Grade 1152724%
Grade 1244220%
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 73% · STATE 69% · US 70%
White
37717%
DISTRICT 24% · STATE 45% · US 43%
Hispanic
1,20555%
DISTRICT 33% · STATE 29% · US 30%
Black
42820%
DISTRICT 31% · STATE 16% · US 15%
Asian
522%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 6% · US 6%
Two+
995%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
111%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
1,14553%
Female
1,02847%

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BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of IL schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
12.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
31.1%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-18.5pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 13% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 31% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Jefferson High School

Jefferson High School's state test result (12.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Jefferson High School this school2,17370.0%12.6%
Argo Community High School
Summit
1,81764.6%32.1%
Zion-Benton Twnshp Hi School
Zion
2,11462.0%22.9%
Dundee-Crown High School
Carpentersville
2,57371.9%27.4%
Reavis High School
Burbank
1,93065.5%33.4%
Larkin High School
Elgin
2,17465.0%20.3%
Matched among Illinois high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Jefferson High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn IllinoisIn Winnebago County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
12.6%#501 of 573#9 of 10
Enrollment
ranked largest first
2,173#68 of 708#2 of 11
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
19.6:1#516 of 528#9 of 9
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
62.1%#90 of 537#4 of 9
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
70.0%#151 of 578#2 of 10
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+29.3%#16 of 191#1 of 6
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
2,173
+194 (+10%) vs 2020
+17% since 1990-91, when it was 1,859
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-252,173110.819.6:170% (1,521)
2023-242,170112.219.3:175% (1,631)
2022-232,11492.222.9:169% (1,458)
2020-211,979N/AN/AN/A
2017-181,680101.116.6:156% (938)
2015-161,69210516.1:162% (1,044)
2010-111,77910117.6:176% (1,354)
2000-011,7148919.3:1N/A
1990-911,85911216.6:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Jefferson High School.

Since 2017-18: students up 29% (1,680 to 2,173); teachers up 10% (101.1 to 110.8).

About Jefferson High School

Jefferson High School is a large high school. Its address is in Rockford, Illinois. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend the school, which enrolls 2,173 students. The average among high schools in Illinois is roughly 834 students; this school is 161% above that.

Rockford SD 205 oversees Jefferson High School and 43 other schools, with 28,467 students in total.

Hispanic students account for 55% of enrollment at Jefferson High School. Enrollment also includes 20% Black, 17% White, 5% multiracial, and 2% Asian. The school's Hispanic share is 40 points above the 16% share among Winnebago County residents. By the diversity index, Jefferson High School comes in at 62%.

Teachers at the school number 110.8 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 19.6:1. The 13.8:1 average for high schools in Illinois is lower than this school's figure. Roughly 70% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Across public schools in Winnebago County, the average is 61%.

The allk12 Grade for Jefferson High School is F. Compared with Illinois public high schools, the school scored higher than 4% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

The school's average proficiency rate on state tests, 12.6%, is 18.5 points below the 31.1% the model predicts from its free or reduced-price lunch share. That result is in the bottom 10% of Illinois schools.

In the county around the school, Winnebago County, median household income is about $65,837, roughly 25% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. Jefferson High School is among the 94 public schools in Winnebago County.

Nearby, Arthur Froberg Elementary School is about 1.2 miles away. Jefferson High School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Jefferson High School's average proficiency of 12.6% compares with 24.2% for its nearest scored neighbors.

The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as City: Mid-size, meaning it is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.

Jefferson High School saw enrollment rise 10% between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

Conversations here can range across science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.

Winnebago County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
283,292
Census ACS
Median income
$65,837
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
94
44,103 students

Quick facts

School name
Jefferson High School
District
Rockford SD 205
Address
4145 Samuelson Rd, Rockford, IL 61109
Phone
(815) 874-9536
County
Winnebago County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
2,173
Teachers (FTE)
111
Student–teacher ratio
19.6:1
Free and reduced lunch
1,521 (70%)
Locale
12-City: Mid-size
NCES ID
173451003585
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Rockford SD 205
Other schools in Rockford
Other Jefferson High schools

19 other US public schools in 16 states are named Jefferson High. Jefferson High School is the largest of the 20.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Jefferson High School
What is the total enrollment at Jefferson High School?
Jefferson High School enrolls approximately 2,173 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Jefferson High School serve?
Jefferson High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Jefferson High School is approximately 19.6:1 (111 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Jefferson High School?
Jefferson High School reports a student body of 17% White, 55% Hispanic, 20% Black, 2% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Jefferson High School?
Jefferson High School is overseen by Rockford SD 205 in Winnebago County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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