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What do you wish you knew before starting at Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
724
Middle
DISTRICT 766 · STATE 462
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·JOLIET PSD 86·NCES 172058002348
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm
402 Richards St, Joliet, IL 60433 · (815) 727-5271 · Will County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL724 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 32% of Illinois public middle schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
14.2:1
51 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
98%
713 students
DISTRICT 96% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 253 | 35% |
| Grade 7 | 221 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 250 | 35% |
Student demographics
42%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 69% · US 70%
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
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
31.4%
IL avg 51.0% . +10.5pp since 2023
Math
11.7%
IL avg 37.9% . +2.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 31 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 12 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 11 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 3 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 31.4% | 11.7% |
| 2023-24 | 20.9% | 9.0% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
21.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
14.6%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 21% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 15% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
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 Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm's state test result (21.0% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm this school | 724 | 98.5% | 21.0% |
| Dirksen Junior High School Joliet | 653 | 98.2% | 22.1% |
| Hufford Junior High School Joliet | 1,072 | 97.3% | 22.2% |
| Chicago Heights Middle School Chicago Hts | 872 | 92.1% | 26.1% |
| Neal Math Science Academy North Chicago | 601 | 98.8% | 17.0% |
| Gompers Junior High School Joliet | 615 | 99.2% | 24.4% |
Matched among Illinois middle 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 Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Will County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 21.0% | #516 of 578 | #39 of 39 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 11.7% | #578 of 640 ▼ 23 | #44 of 44 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 31.4% | #559 of 640 ▲ 7 | #42 of 44 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 724 | #125 of 691 | #16 of 44 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.2:1 | #401 of 558 | #27 of 44 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.8% | #324 of 560 | #26 of 44 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.5% | #19 of 581 | #2 of 39 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.7% | #208 of 440 | #19 of 36 |
Ranked against other public middle 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 2024-25Enrollment
724
-30 (-4%) vs 2020
+15% since 1990-91, when it was 627
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 724 | 51 | 14.2:1 | 98% (713) |
| 2023-24 | 739 | 51.2 | 14.4:1 | 98% (724) |
| 2022-23 | 774 | 55.2 | 14.0:1 | 97% (753) |
| 2020-21 | 754 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 829 | 52.2 | 15.9:1 | 100% (829) |
| 2015-16 | 857 | 53 | 16.2:1 | 100% (857) |
| 2010-11 | 710 | 46 | 15.4:1 | 78% (551) |
| 2000-01 | 708 | 43 | 16.5:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 627 | 46 | 13.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (829 to 724); teachers down 2% (52.2 to 51).
About Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm is a middle school located in Joliet, Illinois, in Will County. Enrolled students number 724 students, in grades 6 through 8. Statewide, middle schools in Illinois average about 462 students each.
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm falls under Joliet PSD 86, which has 20 schools enrolling 9,333 students.
Hispanic students make up a majority at Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm, at 73%. Smaller groups are 20% Black, 4% White, and 3% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Will County is roughly 20% Hispanic. The school's diversity index is 42%, meaning two students picked at random have a 42% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The teaching staff at Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm is 51 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 14.2:1. This ratio sits 1.2 above the 13.0:1 average for middle schools in Illinois. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 98%. That rate is above the 44% average among public schools in Will County.
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm is graded C by allk12, scoring above 32% of Illinois public middle schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
The model predicts 14.6% for a school in Illinois with Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm's free or reduced-price lunch share. Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm posts 21.0%.
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm is located in Will County, where the median household income is $109,984, roughly 38% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm is one of 209 public schools in the county.
Nearby, Edna Keith Elementary School is about 0.1 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm's average proficiency of 21.0% compares with 20.1% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Locale data from NCES put Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more (Suburb: Large).
2024-25 enrollment was 724, a 4% decrease from 754 in 2020-21.
Parents and students can post about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater at Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Will County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
701,462
Census ACS
Median income
$109,984
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
38%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
209
113,008 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Joliet PSD 86
- Hufford Junior High SchoolMiddle · 1,072 students
- Dirksen Junior High SchoolMiddle · 653 students
- Sator Sanchez Elementary SchoolElementary · 635 students
- Pershing Elementary SchoolElementary · 621 students
- Lynne Thigpen Elementary SchoolElementary · 620 students
- Gompers Junior High SchoolMiddle · 615 students
Other schools in Joliet
- Joliet West High SchoolHigh · 3,451 students
- Joliet Central High SchoolHigh · 3,295 students
- Hufford Junior High SchoolMiddle · 1,072 students
- Aux Sable Middle SchoolMiddle · 844 students
- Dirksen Junior High SchoolMiddle · 653 students
- Thomas Jefferson Elementary SchoolElementary · 646 students
Nearby schools
- Edna Keith Elementary School0.1 mi · 402
- Woodland Elementary School0.6 mi · 368
- Joliet Central High School0.7 mi · 3,295
- T E Culbertson Elementary School1.6 mi · 377
- Farragut Elementary School1.7 mi · 568
- Laraway School1.7 mi · 433
Frequently asked questions
About Washington Jr High & Academy PrgmHow many students attend Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm?
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm enrolls approximately 724 students in grades 06-08.
Is Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm an elementary, middle, or high school?
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm have?
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm employs 51 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.2:1.
How diverse is Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm?
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm reports a student body of 4% White, 73% Hispanic, 20% Black, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm?
Washington Jr High & Academy Prgm is overseen by Joliet PSD 86 in Will County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.