North Chicago School District 187

The North Chicago School District 187 consists of 8 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. The district as a whole is ranked 729 out of 811 school districts in Illinois and is rated 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out in their performance. The LEARN Charter School 6 N Chicago Campus and the LEARN 10 Charter School, both public charter elementary/middle schools, have significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the district and state averages. In contrast, the traditional public schools in the district, such as Evelyn Alexander School and A.J. Katzenmaier Academy, rank in the bottom 10% of Illinois elementary schools.

The data reveals several key insights about the schools in the North Chicago School District 187. The district struggles with very low academic proficiency rates, high chronic absenteeism, and high poverty levels, all of which contribute to its low overall ranking. The high spending per student, averaging over $20,000, does not seem to translate to strong academic outcomes, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be enough to drive improvement without other systemic changes. The wide performance gap between the charter schools and the traditional public schools within the district also raises questions about equity and access to quality education for all students.