Editor’s note: This is the first in a series on the Illinois School Report Card. In Tuesday’s paper, the BCR looks at how area elementary schools measure up.

In April, area high school juniors took the Prairie State Achievement Exam, which tests students in math, reading and science. On Tuesday, those scores were released on the 2012 Illinois School Report Card, which offers a variety of information on overall student performance, performance on state assessments, student demographics and financial information.

At area high schools, scores ranged from slight increases at Bureau Valley High School and Princeton High School to a significant decrease at DePue High School. Once again, each school failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) as measured by No Child Left Behind. The percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards has steadily increased throughout the years, and last year, 85 percent of the students who took the test needed to meet that mark in order to make Adequate Yearly Progress. Across the state, only 11 high schools in Illinois made AYP this year based on PSAE scores.