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US 136 entering ColchesterPhoto: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0
C+
Schools in Colchester Township · West Prairie Community Unit School District 103

Colchester Township’s public schools score below 63% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation

On the state reading tests, 22% of Colchester Township’s students scored proficient, below the Illinois average (30%). The grade covers the public school district serving Colchester Township, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Illinois, not nationally.

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
22%
▼ 8 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
20%
▼ 6 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Spent per student
$20.9K
▼ 3% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
10.6
IL 13.6 · smaller classes
Schools in town
3
432 students on the public path
In brief

Colchester Township’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 1389 Illinois towns with household incomes within a quarter of Colchester Township’s, its schools beat 42%, higher than their 37% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2021, 22% of tested students were proficient in reading and 20% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $20,946 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 7 the district’s path is West Prairie Junior High School, then West Prairie Senior 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 Colchester Township’s grade

C+ Test scores

C+: better than 37% of Illinois school districts. Test scores are below the Illinois average; there is no graduation rate to add.

Illinois school districts we grade (887)Better than 37%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (1389)Better than 42%
Towns in McDonough County (19)Better than 47%
CB−A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 299 test results could put Colchester Township anywhere from C to B−. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Colchester Township’s students in the tested grades sat them (287 in math, 311 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–6West Prairie South Elementary SchWest Prairie Community Unit School District 103A+
7–8West Prairie Junior High SchoolWest Prairie Community Unit School District 103C
9–12West Prairie Senior High SchoolWest Prairie Community Unit School District 103B−

Colchester Township’s public schools are run by West Prairie Community Unit School District 103. 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.

West Prairie Community Unit School District 103Grades PK–12 · 4 schools · 573 students, down 3% since 2020–21 · 10.6 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$20,946IL $21,567 · FY2024
C+
Test scores · 2020–21

Well below the state in reading

Reading22%
State average 29.9% · 311 students tested
Math20%
State average 25.8% · 287 students tested

Colchester Township vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Colchester TownshipC+West Prairie Community Unit School District 103
Chalmers—Macomb Community Unit School District 185 PK–12 · West Prairie Community Unit School District 103 PK–12
Emmet—Macomb Community Unit School District 185 PK–12 · West Prairie Community Unit School District 103 PK–12
Tennessee—West Prairie Community Unit School District 103
Hire—West Prairie Community Unit School District 103

All 4 neighbors share West Prairie Community Unit School District 103 with Colchester Township, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.

Every school in Colchester Township

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).

District schools in Colchester Townshipby address
West Prairie South Elementary Sch
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Colchester
A+
182 students11:1Rate it →
West Prairie Junior High School
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Colchester
C
80 students10:1Rate it →
West Prairie Senior High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Colchester
B−
170 students11:1Rate it →

Left off: 1 public program with fewer than 25 students (Wcisec MD).

Questions about Colchester Township’s schools

Are Colchester Township’s schools good?

On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Colchester Township children attend score below 63% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 42%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Colchester Township in?

West Prairie Community Unit School District 103, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 573 students in 4 schools (2024–25).

Where do Colchester Township kids go to high school?

West Prairie Senior High School in Colchester, with 170 students; its own test results earn a B−.

How much does Colchester Township spend per student?

$20,946 in West Prairie Community Unit School District 103 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Colchester Township families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Colchester Township → 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.