Several years of a concentrated effort by Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 to improve the quality of its five middle schools and high school is showing results, according to the most recent school report card issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
With Waukegan High School and four of the district’s five middle schools showing improvement in the summative ratings assigned to each public school in the state, Eduardo Cesario, the district’s deputy superintendent for academics, said the plans put in place are working.
“We are pleased, but not satisfied,” Cesario said. “We are charting a path of continual growth. We’ve put in multiple supports the last several years in the areas which needed improvement. We are devoting more time to social-emotional learning.”
Most schools in Waukegan, North Chicago and Lake County in general showed a variety of strengths on the annual ISBE Report Card released Wednesday in Springfield, with an abundance of data from test scores to enrollment to demographic makeup of all elementary and high schools.
Schools in the top 10% statewide are exemplary, according to the ISBE. In commendable schools, all student groups meet expectations. They are targeted where one or more group falls below their peers, comprehensive if they are in the bottom 5% and intensive with continuing subpar effort.
With 31 exemplary schools across Lake County, 15.8% of the county’s 196 public schools received the top summative rating, according to the report card, putting performance in the northeastern-most part of the state more than 50% ahead of the rest.
Michael Karner, Lake County regional superintendent of schools, said he was pleased with the county’s overall results, especially the number of exemplary schools from Highland Park to Lake Villa, and from Waukegan to North Barrington.
“I am proud of our Lake County school districts,” Karner said “Our school staffs continue to meet the needs of our students, and ensure that they receive an outstanding education.”
A year ago, Waukegan High School was rated targeted, and the five middle schools were targeted or comprehensive. This year, the high school is commendable, as is Jack Benny Middle School. Jack Benny jumped from comprehensive to commendable.
John Lewis, Abbott and Miguel Juarez middle schools jumped from comprehensive to targeted. Edith Middle School slipped from targeted to comprehensive.
With Waukegan High School in the midst of a five-year transformation plan and the middle schools making changes through a redesign, Cesario said both are working as the report card results show.
“We’ve changed the schedule in the middle schools with more focus on the academics,” he said. “We want to be on a path of continuous growth. We watch all this continually and make adjustments when needed.”
In the primary grades, John S. Clark Elementary School received an exemplary rating, while Cooke, Glen Flora, Glenwood, Greenwood, Hyde Park, Lyon Magnet, McCall, North and Washington elementary schools are commendable.
Rated in the targeted category are Carman-Buckner, Little Fort, Oakdale and Whittier elementary schools, while Clearview is comprehensive.
Throughout the report card there are both overall statistics and then the numbers are broken into student groups like Asian, mixed race, children with disabilities, English learners, economically disadvantaged students and more. Cesario said one group not meeting expectations can reduce the rating for the entire school.
“It’s very nuanced,” he said. “We have to take a deeper drive to see what we can do for that group and what supports we can give them.”
Impacted for several years by a statewide and national teacher shortage, Amanda Patti, the district’s associate superintendent of equity, innovation and accountability, said the district has moved from 80% to 86% of its teachers being permanent, fulltime instructors.
“The increase in teacher retention has made a big difference,” Patti said. “It’s a big help for students in the classroom.”
Waukegan High School graduated 79.6% of its senior class, while 60.7% of its freshmen were on track to graduate in four years.
In North Chicago School District 187, North Chicago Community High School retained its commendable rating, and Neal Math and Science Academy middle school jumped two spots from comprehensive to commendable.
District 187 Superintendent John Price credited one of the reasons for Neal’s improvement to the new building, which opened two years ago to playing a major role in the school’s improvement. He said it opened the door to a host of modern learning techniques.
“The building creates the environment for this kind of growth,” Price said “It’s a model that allows us to focus on small group collaborative-based learning. The new building was designed for this.”
Among the District 187 elementary schools, Forrestal and Katzenmaier elementary schools are rated comprehensive, while Evelyn Alexander Elementary School is intensive.
North Chicago Community High School graduated 84.5% of its senior class, while 92.9% of its freshmen were on track to graduate in four years.
The county’s other exemplary schools include Oakland Elementary School in Lake Villa, Meadowview School in Grayslake, Lake Bluff Elem School along with Deer Path Middle School West and Deer Path Middle School East and both Everett and Sheridan elementary schools all in Lake Forest.
Other exemplary schools include Butterfield School in Libertyville, Hawthorn Elementary School North in Vernon Hills, Lake Zurich High School, Lake Zurich Middle School South Campus and Seth Paine, Mary Whitney, Sarah Adams and Spencer Loomis elementary schools in Lake Zurich.
More exemplary schools are Kildeer Countryside Elementary School in Long Grove, Prairie Elementary School in Buffalo Grove, Country Meadows Elementary School in Long Grove and Ivy Hall Elementary School in Buffalo Grove.
Also making the exemplary list are Bannockburn School in Bannockburn, Ravinia, Sherwood and Wayne Thomas elementary schools in Highland Park as well as Deerfield, Lake Forest, Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools along with North Barrington Elementary school and Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake.
The report card contains data from the 2023-2024 school year.
