Enrollment
169
Middle
DISTRICT 188 · STATE 462
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST CENTRAL CUSD 235·NCES 170031905598
West Central Middle School
217 W South St, Stronghurst, IL 61480 · (309) 924-1681 · Henderson County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL169 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 9% of Illinois public middle schools
- C-Test 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
10.9:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
59%
100 students
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 56%
Community
0
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 | 50 | 30% |
| Grade 7 | 50 | 30% |
| Grade 8 | 69 | 41% |
Student demographics
11%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 13% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
West Central Middle School→West Central High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within West Central CUSD 235. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
35.7%
IL avg 51.0% . +17.2pp since 2023
Math
17.2%
IL avg 37.9% . +10.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 17 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 17 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 10 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 35.7% | 17.2% |
| 2023-24 | 18.5% | 6.9% |
% 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
25.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.4%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-12.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 25% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% 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 West Central Middle School
West Central Middle School's state test result (25.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Central Middle School this school | 169 | 59.2% | 25.3% |
| Gallatin Junior High School Junction | 186 | 60.2% | 35.8% |
| Mt Carmel Junior High School Mount Carmel | 199 | 56.8% | 31.7% |
| Sumner Attendance Center Sumner | 193 | 56.5% | 40.3% |
| Westville Jr High School Westville | 205 | 58.0% | 16.1% |
| South Central Middle School Kinmundy | 140 | 56.4% | 24.9% |
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 West Central Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 25.3% | #480 of 578 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 17.2% | #518 of 640 ▲ 61 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 35.7% | #530 of 640 ▲ 56 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 169 | #597 of 691 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 59.2% | #189 of 581 |
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
169
0 (0%) vs 2020
-24% since 2010-11, when it was 221
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 | 169 | 15.5 | 10.9:1 | 59% (100) |
| 2023-24 | 180 | 13.4 | 13.4:1 | 67% (121) |
| 2022-23 | 184 | 14.2 | 12.9:1 | 68% (125) |
| 2020-21 | 169 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 154 | 13.9 | 11.1:1 | 56% (87) |
| 2015-16 | 185 | 16 | 11.6:1 | 49% (91) |
| 2010-11 | 221 | 19 | 11.6:1 | 46% (102) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Central Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (154 to 169); teachers up 12% (13.9 to 15.5).
About West Central Middle School
West Central Middle School is a very small middle school with an address in Stronghurst, Illinois. It reported 169 students in grades 6 through 8 in 2024-25. Middle schools in Illinois have about 462 students on average; enrollment here is 63% lower.
West Central CUSD 235 has a total of 4 schools and 752 students, West Central Middle School among them.
White students are 94% of those enrolled at West Central Middle School. The remaining shares are 4% multiracial. That is in line with Henderson County, where about 94% of residents are White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 11, compared with 70 nationally.
Based on 15.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, West Central Middle School has a ratio of 10.9:1. Across middle schools in Illinois, the average ratio is 13.0:1. Income data for the school show 59% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 58% average for public schools in Henderson County.
West Central Middle School holds a D allk12 Grade, placing it above 9% of Illinois public middle schools.
West Central Middle School's average proficiency rate across its state test results of 25.3% is 12.1 points below the 37.4% the model predicts from its lunch-eligibility share.
In the wider Henderson County area, median household income comes to about $62,227, roughly 21% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 12%. Henderson County counts 4 public schools with about 752 students.
West Central High School is about 7.5 miles from West Central Middle School, the shortest distance to any other public school. Other public schools within ten miles: 3. West Central Middle School comes in 6th of 7 nearby schools on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes West Central Middle School as Rural: Distant.
Enrollment at West Central Middle School was 169 in 2020-21 and 169 in 2024-25, a change of less than 3%.
On allk12, people connected to West Central Middle School can post about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Henderson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
6,193
Census ACS
Median income
$62,227
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
4
752 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in West Central CUSD 235
- West Central Elementary SchoolElementary · 321 students
- West Central High SchoolHigh · 212 students
- West Central Early ChildhoodElementary · 50 students
Other West Central Middle schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named West Central Middle. West Central Middle School is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- West Central Middle School - 04Hartford, SD · 297 students
- West Central Middle SchoolFrancesville, IN · 89 students
Nearby schools
- West Central High School7.5 mi · 212
- West Central Elementary School7.5 mi · 321
- West Central Early Childhood7.5 mi · 50
- Black Hawk Elementary School10.9 mi · 305
- James Wilson Grimes School11.0 mi · 212
- La Harpe Elementary School11.4 mi · 181
Frequently asked questions
About West Central Middle SchoolHow many students attend West Central Middle School?
West Central Middle School enrolls approximately 169 students in grades 06-08.
Is West Central Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
West Central Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at West Central Middle School?
Approximately 10.9:1 students per teacher at West Central Middle School.
How diverse is West Central Middle School?
West Central Middle School reports a student body of 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 4% Two or more.
Is West Central Middle School public or private?
West Central Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by West Central CUSD 235.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.