Triopia High School named Exemplary, district ratings highlight strengths

Triopia High School, which serves parts of Morgan County, received an Exemplary designation on the Illinois Report Card for 2024 to 2025, the state education dashboard released this fall. The rating places the school in the top 10 percent of Illinois schools and indicates that no student group at Triopia was identified as underperforming under state criteria. District officials said the high school has earned the Exemplary label three times during Superintendent Adam Dean's tenure, a milestone local leaders link to sustained instructional focus and schoolwide strategies.

The district elementary school earned a Commendable rating on the same report card, reflecting solid performance but stopping short of the Exemplary threshold. Superintendent Dean emphasized that district leaders consider multiple measures when evaluating school performance, including proficiency and growth metrics, rather than relying solely on the single state test that largely drives designation outcomes. He also noted statewide conversations about whether label categories such as Commendable should be revised, a debate that could alter how schools are classified in future report cards.

The state report card also laid out designations for other districts and schools that serve Morgan County residents. Local districts included Jacksonville schools, Meredosia Chambersburg, Waverly and Franklin among those listed by the Illinois State Board of Education. Within Jacksonville, Jacksonville Middle School registered in the Targeted category, signaling targeted needs for improvement under the state accountability system. Those mixed results across the county illustrate how schools with neighboring zip codes can face very different accountability outcomes based on student performance and subgroup results.

For Morgan County residents the report card findings carry practical implications. Designations inform public perception of school quality, influence conversations about resource allocation and professional development priorities, and can shape family decisions about enrollment and participation in district programs. They also drive state and district level attention to gaps in student achievement, particularly where targeted or lower classifications prompt improvement planning and potential supports.

As the state continues to consider changes to accountability labels and the metrics that determine them, local school leaders say they will continue to track both proficiency and year to year growth. Community stakeholders including parents, school boards and local government will play a role in assessing how any future changes affect transparency, accountability and efforts to close achievement gaps in Morgan County schools.