Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Northwood Middle School

Q: Is Northwood Middle School a good school?

Northwood Middle School ranks 202 nd of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

202^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,368 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 85% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Northwood Middle School is a public middle school located in Highland Park, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 532 students. It is part of the North Shore School District 112, which is ranked 101 out of 811 school districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Northwood Middle School has consistently ranked in the top 25-30% of Illinois middle schools over the past 5 years, with a current ranking of 202 out of 1,368 middle schools in the state. The school's performance on state assessments is generally above the state average, with 72.9% of students proficient or better in ELA and 51% in Math for the 2024-2025 school year. However, Northwood's performance is slightly lower than the district average, which scored 74.4% in ELA and 62.5% in Math for the same year. The school performs particularly well for White and Multi-racial students, ranking in the top 10-20% of Illinois middle schools for these subgroups, as well as for Special Education and Military Connected students, ranking in the top 5-10%.

One area of concern for Northwood Middle School is its chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4% for the 2024-2025 school year, which is higher than the district average of 12.1%. The school also spends $24,813 per student, which is higher than the state average, and has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 10.7. When compared to nearby schools like Edgewood Middle School, Northbrook Junior High School, and the Deer Path Middle School East and Deer Path Middle School West, Northwood's performance is generally lower, and these nearby schools also tend to have lower chronic absenteeism rates and higher spending per student.

540

Students ?

10.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,586

Per pupil spending ?

37.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

945 North Ave
Highland Park, IL 60035-1129

(224) 765-3600

District: North Shore School District 112

Students who attend Northwood Middle School usually attend:

High:

Highland Park High School

Feeder schools for Northwood Middle School:

Elementary:

Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.9%

Hispanic:

43.0%

Two or more races:

6.5%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Northwood Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 70th percentile in 2015 → 85th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (62% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of Illinois middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg68%

Illinois avg46%

202^nd of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 15 pts since 2015

From top 30% (2015) to top 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the North Shore School District 112

101^st of 811North Shore School District 112 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	83.3	202 of 1368	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	72.0	324 of 1363	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	67.8	353 of 1367	74.2%	★★★★☆
2022	65.9	376 of 1369	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	69.1	302 of 1241	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	66.9	396 of 1356	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	67.4	364 of 1293	71.8%	★★★★☆
2017	56.6	494 of 1293	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.5	502 of 1294	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.9	390 of 1302	70.0%	★★★★☆
2014	72.1	337 of 1322	74.5%	★★★★☆
2013	67.2	421 of 1367	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.0	647 of 1365	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.6	506 of 1344	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	72.0	388 of 1327	70.8%	★★★★☆
2009	60.0	610 of 1318	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.0	584 of 1293	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	71.9	350 of 1287	72.8%	★★★★☆
2006	76.7	267 of 1272	79.0%	★★★★☆
2005	80.8	211 of 1209	82.5%	★★★★☆
2004	78.7	252 of 1204	79.1%	★★★★☆
2003	71.4	358 of 1185	69.8%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2023	41.4	119 of 192	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	67.2	133 of 694	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	65.7	130 of 639	79.7%	★★★★☆
2023	65.7	124 of 674	81.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	163 of 483	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.4	204 of 486	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.0	340 of 480	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.7	177 of 454	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.5	100 of 277	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.9	160 of 339	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.1	180 of 285	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	82.5	181 of 1248	85.5%	★★★★☆
2024	69.0	331 of 1251	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	66.6	351 of 1275	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	63.2	381 of 1286	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	65.9	286 of 1017	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	67.6	358 of 1276	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	66.9	351 of 1226	71.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	59.4	237 of 669	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	253 of 643	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.5	311 of 661	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	270 of 662	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.2	234 of 517	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.4	457 of 639	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.7	313 of 590	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	57.5	439 of 1229	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	585 of 1219	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.1	642 of 1234	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.9	488 of 1221	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.0	408 of 1019	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.4	701 of 1217	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	562 of 1161	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	81.2	197 of 1271	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	73.2	274 of 1264	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	66.9	332 of 1292	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	67.0	329 of 1286	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	66.0	266 of 1048	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	64.6	384 of 1296	70.4%	★★★★☆
2018	63.5	370 of 1223	69.7%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	73.4	5 of 21	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	68.0	4 of 12	66.7%	★★★★☆
2023	64.7	4 of 12	66.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	49 of 204	76.0%	★★★★☆
2024	91.4	11 of 184	94.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	90.4	66 of 812	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	86.4	74 of 802	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	80.2	99 of 805	87.7%	★★★★☆
2022	54.6	195 of 781	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	53.5	154 of 548	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	51.4	255 of 792	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.9	159 of 602	73.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	80 of 884	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	76.4	153 of 875	82.5%	★★★★☆
2023	79.1	140 of 895	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	211 of 898	76.5%	★★★★☆
2021	87.2	71 of 813	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	81.2	116 of 905	87.2%	★★★★☆
2018	80.4	123 of 889	86.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2025)92nd percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)91st percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)85th percentile~ school

Male (2025)85th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)81st percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2025)76th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)76th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)66th percentile-19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)65th percentile-21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)64th percentile-21 vs school

Asian (2023)38th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts73%+20 vs state

Science61%+15 vs state

Mathematics51%+12 vs state

1.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

Rate Northwood Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, April 12, 2019

in my opinion -this is a horrible school ran by a horrible principal. the illegal immigrant population in this school is high and it reflects the percent that are on free or reduced lunch on the tax payers dime. the principal appears to be sympathetic to illegal immigrants (at the expense of tax payers of course) and even goes so far as to put signs in spanish and english but makes sure to put the sign in spanish first. i hate her and i hate that school. again in my opinion -the teachers are sub par at best. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, December 17, 2016

The kids run the school. Teachers cannot handle the many unruly children. Swearing is allowed. The gym teacher plays inappropriate music with the word f--k.Not a class act school. I'm tired of hearing how great this school is....when you have to sell poop you better say that it's great poop i guess. Close Quote

Schools Near Northwood Middle School

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)	% Meningococcal (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	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	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th 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	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northwood Middle School	Public	6-8	945 North Ave	Highland Park	60035	Lake County	North Shore School District 112	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 765-3600	540	51	10.5	37.2%	248 (45.9%)	8 (1.5%)	232 (43.0%)	16 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (6.5%)	83.3	202^nd of 1368 public middle schools	85.2%		72	324^th of 1363 public middle schools	76.2%	122		60.7		72.4	64.5	80.7	72.9		55.3	51.2	47.4	51.0	98.7	98.9	98.9	98.9	98.3	98.5	99.1	96.4	$25,586	$567	$25,019
Edgewood Middle School	Public	6-8	929 Edgewood Rd	Highland Park	60035	Lake County	North Shore School District 112	No	(n/a)	No	No	(224) 765-3201	663	60	11.0		543 (81.9%)	18 (2.7%)	44 (6.6%)	27 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.4%)	92.9	83^rd of 1368 public middle schools	93.9%		85.9	160^th of 1363 public middle schools	88.3%	77		72.1		83.3	80.1	82.1	81.9		64.3	62.4	62.2	63.0	98.6	97.7	97.7	97.7	98.3	98.3	99.4	97.1	$26,694	$401	$26,293
Alan B Shepard Middle School	Public	6-8	440 Grove Ave	Deerfield	60015	Lake County	Deerfield School District 109	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 948-0620	476	49	9.6		392 (82.4%)	4 (0.8%)	35 (7.4%)	17 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	26 (5.5%)	95.1	52^nd of 1368 public middle schools	96.2%		96.9	32^nd of 1363 public middle schools	97.7%	20		69.9		88.3	89.2	83.8	87.1		61.6	80.3	70.1	70.0	97.6	97.6	97.6	97.6	97.8	97.6	98.5	93.5	$21,374	$381	$20,993
Deer Path Middle School East	Public	5-6	300 S Waukegan Rd	Lake Forest	60045	Lake County	Lake Forest School District 67	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 615-4470	375	38	9.8		316 (84.3%)	4 (1.1%)	17 (4.5%)	12 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.9%)								(n/a)	62.8		82.7	89.4			86.1	74.0	73.5			73.8	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.5	47.0	$27,072	$423	$26,648
Deer Path Middle School West	Public	7-8	300 S Waukegan Rd	Lake Forest	60045	Lake County	Lake Forest School District 67	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 604-7400	361	42	8.5		305 (84.5%)	2 (0.6%)	12 (3.3%)	18 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.6%)	96.7	28^th of 1368 public middle schools	98.0%		93.3	79^th of 1363 public middle schools	94.2%	51		85.0			83.1	89.6	86.3			78.1	82.8	80.4	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.7	$28,756	$423	$28,332
Charles J Caruso Middle School	Public	6-8	1801 Montgomery Rd	Deerfield	60015	Lake County	Deerfield School District 109	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 945-8430	440	49	8.9		364 (82.7%)	2 (0.5%)	25 (5.7%)	25 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (5.2%)	96.2	35^th of 1368 public middle schools	97.4%		96.7	34^th of 1363 public middle schools	97.5%	1		77.9		91.2	90.4	80.0	87.1		69.7	81.2	76.8	75.7	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.3	98.8	$22,436	$381	$22,055
Daniel Wright Junior High School	Public	6-8	1370 N Riverwoods Rd	Lincolnshire	60069	Lake County	Lincolnshire-Prairieview School District 103	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 295-1560	720	66	10.9		278 (38.6%)	12 (1.7%)	18 (2.5%)	385 (53.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.8%)	97.8	17^th of 1368 public middle schools	98.8%		98.2	18^th of 1363 public middle schools	98.7%	1		87.9		87.2	88.9	94.8	90.4		81.9	83.6	84.7	83.4	95.5	96.8	96.8	96.8	95.7	95.7	92.9	92.9	$19,946	$262	$19,684
Lake Bluff Middle School	Public	6-8	31 E Sheridan Pl	Lake Bluff	60044	Lake County	Lake Bluff Education Service District 65	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 234-9407	305	31	9.9		218 (71.5%)	3 (1.0%)	47 (15.4%)	22 (7.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.6%)	92.2	89^th of 1368 public middle schools	93.5%		90.1	115^th of 1363 public middle schools	91.6%	26		72.5		72.5	84.6	90.3	82.2		54.1	62.6	69.9	62.0	99.7	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.7	99.0	99.3	95.2	$26,114	$512	$25,602
Northbrook Junior High School	Public	6-8	1475 Maple Ave	Northbrook	60062	Cook County	Northbrook School District 28	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 498-7920	621	74	8.4		460 (74.1%)	8 (1.3%)	36 (5.8%)	90 (14.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.2%)	97.6	18^th of 1368 public middle schools	98.7%		97.8	22^nd of 1363 public middle schools	98.4%	4		84.9		91.5	88.7	89.8	89.9		76.3	83.1	82.9	81.0	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.2	99.1	98.8	99.4	98.3	$28,604	$371	$28,233
Lake County Hulse Detention Center 6-	Public	6-8	25467 N Milwaukee Ave	Vernon Hills	60061	Lake County	Lincolnshire-Prairieview School District 103	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(847) 377-7800	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwood Middle School

Is Northwood Middle School a good school?

Northwood Middle School ranks 202^nd of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Northwood Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 540 students attended Northwood Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Northwood Middle School?

Students at Northwood Middle School are 46% White, 43% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

What high school do graduates of Northwood Middle School attend?

Students who attend Northwood Middle School usually go on to attend Highland Park High School

What district is Northwood Middle School in?

North Shore School District 112

Rate Northwood Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

ILIllinois Middle School Rankings

ILIllinois District Rankings

Schools in Highland Park, IL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Northwood Middle School!

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.