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Schools in Benld · Gillespie Community Unit School District 7

Benld’s public schools score below 72% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation

On the state math tests, 14% of Benld’s students scored proficient, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the public school district serving Benld, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Illinois, not nationally.

≈could be anywhere from D to B−K–12Where will my kid go?

From Illinois state tests taken in spring 2021, when nearly all of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
21%
▼ 9 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
14%
▼ 12 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
80–84%
▼ 4–8 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$15.4K
▼ 29% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
12.9
IL 13.6 · smaller classes
Schools in town
0
1,095 students on the public path
In brief

Benld’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 656 Illinois towns with household incomes within a quarter of Benld’s, its schools beat 34%, higher than their 28% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2021, 21% of tested students were proficient in reading and 14% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

80–84% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois (the state reports Benld’s rate as a range). Districts ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $15,374 per student, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one middle and one high school

From grade 6 the district’s path is Gillespie Middle School, then Gillespie High School. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Benld’s grade

C Test scoresC− Graduation

C: better than 28% of Illinois school districts. Both inputs trail the Illinois average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.

Illinois school districts we grade (887)Better than 28%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (656)Better than 34%
DB−A rough placement. Ordinary sampling error in 536 test results and a graduating class of 89 could put Benld anywhere from D to B−. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Benld’s students in the tested grades sat them (515 in math, 556 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Benld, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–5Ben-Gil Elementary Schoolin GillespieC
6–8Gillespie Middle Schoolin GillespieC+
9–12Gillespie High Schoolin GillespieB+

Benld’s public schools are run by Gillespie Community Unit School District 7, which also serves Cahokia, Dorchester, Dorchester and Eagarville and others. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Gillespie Community Unit School District 7Grades PK–12 · 3 schools · 1,095 students, down 4% since 2020–21 · 12.9 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$15,374IL $21,567 · FY2024
C
Test scores · 2020–21

Well below the state in reading

Reading21%
State average 29.9% · 556 students tested
Math14%
State average 25.8% · 515 students tested

Benld vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Benld’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
BenldCGillespie Community Unit School District 7
Gillespie—Gillespie Community Unit School District 7
CahokiaCGillespie Community Unit School District 7 PK–12 · Mount Olive Community Unit School District 5 PK–12
Mount Clare—Gillespie Community Unit School District 7

All 3 neighbors share Gillespie Community Unit School District 7 with Benld, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.

Every school in Benld

3 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Illinois’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

Also serving Benldin other towns
Ben-Gil Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Gillespie
C
523 students12:1Rate it →
Gillespie Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Gillespie
C+
244 students14:1Rate it →
Gillespie High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Gillespie
B+
328 students13:1Rate it →

Questions about Benld’s schools

Are Benld’s schools good?

On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Benld children attend score below 72% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 34%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Benld in?

Gillespie Community Unit School District 7, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 1,095 students in 3 schools (2024–25).

Where do Benld kids go to high school?

Gillespie High School in Gillespie, with 328 students; its own test results earn a B+.

What is Benld’s graduation rate?

80–84% of the class of 2023 in Gillespie Community Unit School District 7 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Benld spend per student?

$15,374 in Gillespie Community Unit School District 7 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Benld families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Benld → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2020–21, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Illinois. Stars are from neighbors.