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Schools in Dorchester Township · Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8, Staunton Community Unit School District 6

Dorchester Township’s public schools score below 57% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation

Math proficiency in Dorchester Township’s districts is 17%, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the three public school districts serving Dorchester Township, 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.

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
28%
▼ 2 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
17%
▼ 9 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
85–89%
▼ 1–3 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$13.0K
▼ 40% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024 · Staunton Community Unit School District 6
Students per teacher
13.8
IL 13.6
Schools in town
0
2,833 students on the public path
In brief

Dorchester Township’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 1476 Illinois towns with household incomes within a quarter of Dorchester Township’s, its schools beat 49%, higher than their 43% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2021, 28% of tested students were proficient in reading and 17% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

85–89% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois (the state reports Dorchester Township’s rate as a range). Districts ↓

Spending and class size

Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8 spends $15,848 per student and Staunton Community Unit School District 6 $12,987, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

Three elementary schools, then three middle and three high schools

Which school depends on the address at every step. Enrollment is down 6% since 2020–21. 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 Dorchester Township’s grade

B− Test scoresC+ Graduation

C+: better than 43% 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 43%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (1476)Better than 49%
Towns in Macoupin County (26)Better than 46%
C−BA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 1,421 test results and a graduating class of 93 could put Dorchester Township anywhere from C− to B. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Dorchester Township’s students in the tested grades sat them (1,384 in math, 1,456 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–53 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressC to B
6–83 middle schoolsDepends on your addressC to B
9–123 high schoolsDepends on your addressC+ to B+

To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Three districts serve Dorchester Township

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

Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8Grades PK–12 · 2 schools · 573 students, down 2% since 2020–21 · 13.3 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$15,848IL $21,567 · FY2024
C
Staunton Community Unit School District 6Grades PK–12 · 3 schools · 1,165 students, down 6% since 2020–21 · 14.9 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$12,987IL $21,567 · FY2024
B
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

Below the state in reading

Reading · PK–12, Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 816%
State average 29.9% · 286 students tested
Math · PK–12, Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 812%
State average 25.8% · 292 students tested
Reading · PK–12, Staunton Community Unit School District 640%
State average 29.9% · 614 students tested
Math · PK–12, Staunton Community Unit School District 622%
State average 25.8% · 577 students tested
Reading · PK–12, Gillespie Community Unit School District 721%
State average 29.9% · 556 students tested
Math · PK–12, Gillespie Community Unit School District 714%
State average 25.8% · 515 students tested

Dorchester Township vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Dorchester TownshipC+Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8 PK–12 · Staunton Community Unit School District 6 PK–12 · Gillespie Community Unit School District 7 PK–12
Gillespie—Gillespie Community Unit School District 7
Bunker HillCBunker Hill Community Unit School District 8
Dorchester (village)—Gillespie Community Unit School District 7
Staunton—Staunton Community Unit School District 6

2 of the 4 neighbors share Gillespie Community Unit School District 7 with Dorchester Township for grades PK–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Dorchester Township

8 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 Dorchester Townshipin other towns
Staunton Elem School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Staunton
B
541 students15:1Rate it →
Ben-Gil Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Gillespie
C
523 students12:1Rate it →
Wolf Ridge Education Center
Elementary · Grades PK–8 · Bunker Hill
C
407 students15:1Rate it →
Gillespie Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Gillespie
C+
244 students14:1Rate it →
Staunton Jr High School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Staunton
B
240 students14:1Rate it →
Staunton High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Staunton
B−
384 students15:1Rate it →
Gillespie High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Gillespie
B+
328 students13:1Rate it →
Bunker Hill High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Bunker Hill
C+
166 students10:1Rate it →

Questions about Dorchester Township’s schools

Are Dorchester Township’s schools good?

On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Dorchester Township children attend score below 57% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 49%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Dorchester Township in?

Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 573 students in 2 schools (2024–25).

Where do Dorchester Township kids go to high school?

One of 3 high schools, depending on your address: Staunton High School, Gillespie High School and Bunker Hill High School.

What is Dorchester Township’s graduation rate?

85–89% of the class of 2023 in Staunton Community Unit School District 6 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Dorchester Township spend per student?

$15,848 in Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8, $12,987 in Staunton Community Unit School District 6 and $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 Dorchester Township families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Dorchester 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.