Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Sparta

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
First National Bank in SpartaPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
C−
Schools in Sparta · Sparta Community Unit School District 140

Sparta’s public schools score below 85% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation

Math proficiency in Sparta’s districts is 13%, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the public school district serving Sparta, 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.

#691of 768 Illinois townsK–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
17%
▼ 13 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
13%
▼ 13 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
75–79%
▼ 9–13 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$14.9K
▼ 31% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
13.4
IL 13.6
Schools in town
2
1,044 students on the public path
In brief

Sparta’s schools, in brief

Results trail the state

In spring 2021, 17% of tested students were proficient in reading and 13% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

75–79% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois (the state reports Sparta’s rate as a range). Districts ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $14,879 per student, against $21,567 across Illinois (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one high school

From grade 9 the district’s path is Sparta 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 Sparta’s grade

C− Test scoresD Graduation

C−: better than 15% of Illinois school districts, #691 of 768 Illinois towns. Both inputs trail the Illinois average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.

Illinois school districts we grade (887)Better than 15%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (913)Better than 14%
D−C+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 588 test results and a graduating class of 87 could put Sparta anywhere from D− to C+. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Sparta’s students in the tested grades sat them (580 in math, 597 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–8Sparta Lincoln SchoolSparta Community Unit School District 140C
9–12Sparta High SchoolSparta Community Unit School District 140C−

Sparta’s public schools are run by Sparta Community Unit School District 140, which also serves Evansville and Tilden. 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.

Sparta Community Unit School District 140Grades PK–12 · 3 schools · 1,153 students, down 2% since 2020–21 · 13.4 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$14,879IL $21,567 · FY2024
C−
Test scores · 2020–21

Well below the state in reading

Reading17%
State average 29.9% · 597 students tested
Math13%
State average 25.8% · 580 students tested

Sparta vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
SpartaC−Sparta Community Unit School District 140

Every school in Sparta

2 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 Spartaby address
Sparta Lincoln School
Elementary · Grades PK–8
C
735 students14:1Rate it →
Sparta High School
High · Grades 9–12
C−
309 students14:1Rate it →

Questions about Sparta’s schools

Are Sparta’s schools good?

On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Sparta children attend score below 85% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C− Schools grade, #691 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 14%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Sparta in?

Sparta Community Unit School District 140, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 1,153 students in 3 schools (2024–25).

Where do Sparta kids go to high school?

Sparta High School, with 309 students; its own test results earn a C−.

What is Sparta’s graduation rate?

75–79% of the class of 2023 in Sparta Community Unit School District 140 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Sparta spend per student?

$14,879 in Sparta Community Unit School District 140 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Sparta families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Sparta → 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.