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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Illinois State Board of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Illinois State Board of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Kenneth Murphy School

Public Grades K-5

1767^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Kenneth Murphy School is a K-5 elementary school in Beach Park, IL, serving 394 students as part of the Beach Park CCSD 3 district, which ranks in the bottom 1% of Illinois school districts. The school has historically performed in the bottom 15-20% of Illinois elementary schools, with a current state ranking of 1,767 out of 2,056 schools (14th percentile) for the 2024-2025 school year, earning it a 1-star rating. Over 53% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and despite spending a significant $19,380 per student, academic outcomes remain well below state averages.

There are some positive signs of improvement. Between the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, Kenneth Murphy saw a dramatic increase in test scores, with English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency doubling from 12.5% to 25.5% and math proficiency increasing by over 70% from 9.4% to 16.2%. Chronic absenteeism has also improved significantly, dropping from a peak of 36.6% in 2021-2022 to 24.0% in 2024-2025, which is now below the district average of 26.6% and the state average of 25.4%. Within its own district, Kenneth Murphy is the middle performer, outperforming Howe Elementary School in both ELA (25.5% vs. 18.4%) and math (16.2% vs. 11.0%), but significantly outperformed by Oak Crest School, which leads the district in both subjects (32.9% ELA, 25.0% math).

However, the school faces critical challenges, particularly for its most vulnerable students. Low socioeconomic status students rank in the bottom 4% of the state, and English Language Learners rank in the bottom 7%, both showing steep declines from previous years. Grade-level performance is inconsistent, with 5th grade being a relative strength (32.4% ELA proficiency) and 4th grade a significant weakness (16.1% ELA, 12.9% math). Notably, nearby schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60 district, such as John S Clark Elementary School (46.6% ELA, 43.2% math) and H R McCall Elementary School (48.8% ELA, 30.9% math), achieve far better results despite serving a similar or higher percentage of low-income students, suggesting that factors beyond poverty are driving the performance gap. The school's ability to sustain its recent academic gains and improve outcomes for its low-SES and ELL students will determine its future trajectory.

394

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,380

Per pupil spending ?

53.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11315 W Wadsworth Rd
Beach Park, IL 60099-3359

(847) 599-5060

District: Beach Park CCSD 3

Students who attend Kenneth Murphy School usually attend:

Middle:	Beach Park Middle School
High:	Zion-Benton East High School
	Zion-Benton Township High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.9%

African American:

22.8%

White:

12.2%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Kenneth Murphy School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2014 → 14th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (20% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg21%

Illinois avg44%

1,767^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Beach Park CCSD 3

773^rd of 811Beach Park CCSD 3 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.9	1767 of 2056	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	1767 of 2067	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	1766 of 2077	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	1646 of 2082	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.4	1738 of 1948	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	1761 of 2086	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	1679 of 2037	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.9	1608 of 2044	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.6	1332 of 2046	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	26.7	1608 of 2093	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.0	1631 of 2167	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.0	1570 of 2166	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	41.5	1458 of 2147	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	35.0	1571 of 2139	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	52.4	1223 of 2120	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.9	1304 of 2092	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	61.8	984 of 2095	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	48.5	1331 of 2086	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	61.0	961 of 2022	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.0	1284 of 2030	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2003	32.8	1505 of 2020	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	23.9	585 of 688	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	590 of 655	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	636 of 692	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	34.0	442 of 684	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.3	204 of 428	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.5	527 of 711	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.3	406 of 698	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	841 of 1049	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.1	459 of 886	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	576 of 907	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.3	735 of 788	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	685 of 826	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.7	451 of 788	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.6	712 of 768	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	614 of 743	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	710 of 718	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.4	1650 of 1942	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	1665 of 1942	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	1736 of 1957	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.6	1494 of 1970	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	1590 of 1680	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.6	1680 of 2019	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	1521 of 1964	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	851 of 982	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.4	798 of 959	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.9	786 of 970	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.8	738 of 954	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	658 of 742	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.0	740 of 955	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.7	762 of 938	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	1729 of 1800	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	1730 of 1793	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	1508 of 1808	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.2	1419 of 1763	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	1459 of 1514	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.3	1476 of 1816	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	1387 of 1765	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.3	1690 of 1947	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	1664 of 1959	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	1578 of 1984	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	1618 of 1977	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	1515 of 1707	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	1683 of 2019	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	1680 of 1972	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	951 of 1292	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	895 of 1195	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.6	684 of 1156	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	563 of 1113	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.8	431 of 640	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.7	544 of 1194	54.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2023	31.6	1017 of 1419	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	1258 of 1425	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.4	1226 of 1462	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.2	1368 of 1463	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2023)28th percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2025)26th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2025)20th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile~ school

African American (2025)15th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)13th percentile~ school

Male (2025)13th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)7th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts26%-28 vs state

Science18%-23 vs state

Mathematics16%-22 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I am very pleased with the level of instruction my kindergartner is receiving at Kenneth Murphy. She is reading and writing and she absolutely loves her school and the culture. Close Quote

Schools Near Kenneth Murphy School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)	IAR English Language Arts (2025)				IAR Mathematics (2025)				% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Pneumococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Pneumococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kenneth Murphy School	Public	K-5	11315 W Wadsworth Rd	Beach Park	60099	Lake County	Beach Park CCSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 599-5060	394	27	14.5	53.6%	48 (12.2%)	90 (22.8%)	228 (57.9%)	11 (2.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.8%)	15.9	1767^th of 2056 public elementary schools	14.1%		17.1	1767^th of 2067 public elementary schools	14.5%		17.6	27.1	16.1	32.4	25.5	22.4	12.9	14.9	16.2	95.6	95.6	95.6	95.6	95.6	95.6	95.6		$19,380	$783	$18,596
Oak Crest School	Public	PK, KG-5	38550 N Lewis Ave	Beach Park	60099	Lake County	Beach Park CCSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 599-5519	308	31	10.0	54.9%	40 (13.0%)	63 (20.5%)	187 (60.7%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.2%)	25.4	1552^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	24.5%		20.8	1662^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	19.6%	110	18.2	39.2	34.0	27.3	32.9	39.2	21.3	16.7	25.0	94.3	94.3	94.3	94.3	94.3	94.3	94.3	7.8	$19,388	$783	$18,604
Elmwood Elementary School	Public	3-5	3025 Ezra Ave	Zion	60099	Lake County	Zion Education Service District 6	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 379-0319	336	21	16.0	87.5%	19 (5.7%)	96 (28.6%)	206 (61.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.5%)	9.1	1970^th of 2056 public elementary schools	4.2%		13	1943^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	6.0%	27	10.1	17.0	17.9	22.0	18.8	8.9	12.8	4.4	9.1	83.8	83.8	83.4	83.4	99.6	93.9	90.4		$25,188	$1,760	$23,428
Howe Elementary School	Public	K-5	10271 W Beach Rd	Beach Park	60087	Lake County	Beach Park CCSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 599-5362	318	24	13.2	75.5%	24 (7.5%)	18 (5.7%)	258 (81.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)	11.3	1895^th of 2056 public elementary schools	7.8%		15.5	1826^th of 2067 public elementary schools	11.7%	69	18.9	15.7	20.8	18.9	18.4	7.8	12.2	13.0	11.0	99.7	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0		$19,358	$783	$18,575
H R McCall Elementary School	Public	K-5	3215 N McAree Rd	Waukegan	60087	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-1760	396	33	12.0	61.1%	14 (3.5%)	61 (15.4%)	294 (74.2%)	10 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	41.4	1182^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	42.5%		53.7	846^th of 2067 public elementary schools	59.1%	336	19.1	32.8	56.1	59.6	48.8	17.2	43.9	31.9	30.9	96.3	97.3	97.3	97.3	99.2	95.2	96.8		$21,764	$1,111	$20,653
West Elementary School	Public	3-5	2412 Jethro Ave	Zion	60099	Lake County	Zion Education Service District 6	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 379-0817	339	30	11.3	84.4%	17 (5.0%)	98 (28.9%)	203 (59.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.2%)	8.7	1979^th of 2056 public elementary schools	3.7%		10.7	2019^th of 2067 public elementary schools	2.3%	40	18.5	8.2	8.0	24.7	13.0	5.4	0.9	10.8	5.4	73.2	82.4	82.4	82.4	99.5	73.2	83.3		$24,322	$1,209	$23,112
East Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	2913 Elim Ave	Zion	60099	Lake County	Zion Education Service District 6	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 379-0161	275	14	19.6	81.5%	3 (1.1%)	3 (1.1%)	267 (97.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)								(n/a)										73.4	66.7	67.4	67.0	95.5	74.9	37.1		$25,487	$1,738	$23,749
Lakeview School	Public	PK, KG-2	2200 Bethesda Blvd	Zion	60099	Lake County	Zion Education Service District 6	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(847) 379-0477	249	19	13.1	82.7%	6 (2.4%)	103 (41.4%)	116 (46.6%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.0%)								(n/a)										96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	13.0	$24,495	$882	$23,613
Little Fort Elementary School	Public	K-5	1775 Blanchard Rd	Waukegan	60087	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-3700	421	31	13.5	70.3%	8 (1.9%)	62 (14.7%)	322 (76.5%)	15 (3.6%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	41.6	1176^th of 2056 public elementary schools	42.8%		42.9	1094^th of 2067 public elementary schools	47.1%	82	31.6	41.3	44.0	34.6	40.1	38.8	47.6	30.8	39.3	94.2	94.4	94.4	94.4	95.4	91.3	88.1		$20,871	$1,111	$19,760
John S Clark Elementary School	Public	K-5	601 Blanchard Rd	Waukegan	60087	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-1570	262	24	10.9	67.9%	17 (6.5%)	11 (4.2%)	173 (66.0%)	52 (19.8%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.3%)	51.4	977^th of 2056 public elementary schools	52.5%		57.9	761^st of 2067 public elementary schools	63.2%	216	38.5	42.5	38.5	59.0	46.6	42.5	48.7	38.5	43.2	95.0	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	91.7	94.2		$21,083	$1,111	$19,972

Frequently Asked Questions about Kenneth Murphy School

Is Kenneth Murphy School a good school?

Kenneth Murphy School ranks in the bottom 14.1% of Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Kenneth Murphy School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 394 students attended Kenneth Murphy School.

What is the racial makeup of Kenneth Murphy School?

Students at Kenneth Murphy School are 58% Hispanic, 23% African American, 12% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Kenneth Murphy School attend?

Students who attend Kenneth Murphy School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Beach Park Middle School
High : Zion-Benton East High School
High : Zion-Benton Township High School

What district is Kenneth Murphy School in?

Beach Park CCSD 3

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 30, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2025

2024–25 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataOct 30, 2024

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.