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Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School

Q: Is Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School a good school?

Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School ranks 935 th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

935^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School is a 421-student K–8 school in Evanston, part of Evanston CCSD 65. In 2025–2026, its all-grades proficiency was 59% in English language arts (ELA) and 45% in math. Both scores were above the state but below the district, and the clearest concern is fifth grade—especially math, where only 26% of students were proficient, compared with 36% statewide and 45% districtwide.

The school’s overall ELA result was close to the nearby-school average, while math lagged more: ELA was 1 point below the ten-school average of 60%, and math was 7 points below the average of 52%. Only two nearby schools scored lower overall in either subject. Within the school, seventh-grade math was a bright spot at 54%, 15 points above the state; eighth-grade science was 62%, 10 points above the state. Fifth-grade results were weaker than those of every nearby school with a reported score in both ELA and math. Overall, the school remained below the district by 8 points in ELA and 10 in math.

Scores have improved since 2023–2024: ELA rose 9 points and math 11 points, and both remain above the state. However, SchoolDigger’s overall standing declined from the 70th percentile (3 stars) in 2023–2024 to the 46th percentile (2 stars) in 2025–2026. Context includes a student-teacher ratio of 8.2 in 2024–2025, the lowest reported among nearby schools, and the highest reported per-student spending, $29,618. The school’s free/reduced lunch eligible share was 50% in 2024–2025. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure placed Hispanic students at the 97th percentile in 2024–2025, compared with the school’s overall 64th percentile. Female students’ percentile fell from 63 in 2024–2025 to 36 in 2025–2026, while the overall percentile fell from 64 to 46.

421

Students ?

8.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$32,699

Per pupil spending ?

50.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

98%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

2424 Lake St
Evanston, IL 60201-3932

(847) 859-8500

District: Evanston CCSD 65

Racial breakdown:

African American:

38.5%

White:

29.2%

Hispanic:

13.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2016 → 46th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2016

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

!Near the bottom of Evanston CCSD 65's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg62%

Illinois avg49%

Elementary school

935^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 30 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to bottom 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

368^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Top 33%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Evanston CCSD 65

250^th of 738Evanston CCSD 65 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	935 of 1737	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	63.5	733 of 2056	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.3	624 of 2067	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.8	387 of 2077	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	65.5	648 of 2082	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	640 of 1948	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.0	1051 of 2086	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.0	895 of 2037	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.2	721 of 2044	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	73.7	487 of 2046	76.2%	★★★★☆
2015	66.4	591 of 2052	71.2%	★★★★☆
2014	77.6	454 of 2093	78.3%	★★★★☆
2013	81.3	369 of 2167	83.0%	★★★★☆
2012	68.6	789 of 2166	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.7	665 of 2147	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	71.2	694 of 2139	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.5	681 of 2120	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	80.4	324 of 2092	84.5%	★★★★☆
2007	76.5	435 of 2095	79.2%	★★★★☆
2006	71.0	671 of 2086	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	67.1	783 of 2022	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	67.6	768 of 2030	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2003	60.6	963 of 2020	52.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	47.6	305 of 688	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.4	261 of 655	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.5	175 of 692	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	66.9	124 of 684	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	27.5	571 of 711	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.9	486 of 698	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	37.8	819 of 1286	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.2	711 of 1942	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.8	684 of 1942	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.5	445 of 1957	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	65.1	611 of 1970	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.6	1094 of 2019	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	945 of 1964	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	95.6	27 of 982	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	68.9	193 of 955	79.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	803 of 1800	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.2	719 of 1793	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.4	533 of 1808	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	46.3	865 of 1763	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.3	1106 of 1514	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.6	1390 of 1816	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.8	1146 of 1765	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	50.3	639 of 1311	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.7	687 of 1947	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.3	504 of 1959	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	79.7	331 of 1984	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.1	614 of 1977	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.9	992 of 2019	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.6	777 of 1972	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	78.4	198 of 1292	84.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.1	241 of 1195	79.8%	★★★★☆
2023	65.1	293 of 1156	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	62.1	263 of 1113	76.4%	★★★★☆
2019	72.1	201 of 1194	83.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	78.4	191 of 1149	83.4%	★★★★☆
2025	87.8	109 of 1389	92.2%	★★★★★
2024	84.4	157 of 1392	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	91.5	66 of 1419	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	85.6	126 of 1425	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	74.2	300 of 1462	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.1	398 of 1463	72.8%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	62.8	368 of 1126	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.4	321 of 1368	76.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.9	364 of 1363	73.3%	★★★★☆
2023	50.9	585 of 1367	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.0	628 of 1369	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.9	445 of 1241	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.6	452 of 1356	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.8	380 of 1293	70.6%	★★★★☆
2017	61.5	429 of 1293	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.6	416 of 1294	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	65.9	350 of 1302	73.1%	★★★★☆
2014	79.1	237 of 1322	82.1%	★★★★☆
2013	82.4	199 of 1367	85.4%	★★★★☆
2012	77.9	254 of 1365	81.4%	★★★★☆
2011	75.3	298 of 1344	77.8%	★★★★☆
2010	81.3	172 of 1327	87.0%	★★★★☆
2009	74.3	325 of 1318	75.3%	★★★★☆
2008	76.4	276 of 1293	78.7%	★★★★☆
2007	70.3	387 of 1287	69.9%	★★★★☆
2006	77.9	241 of 1272	81.1%	★★★★☆
2005	78.7	247 of 1209	79.6%	★★★★☆
2004	78.6	253 of 1204	79.0%	★★★★☆
2003	64.4	469 of 1185	60.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	67.5	127 of 574	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	37.2	329 of 548	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	293 of 569	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.7	292 of 573	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.5	359 of 565	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.9	279 of 511	45.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	55.8	367 of 867	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.0	378 of 1248	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.4	408 of 1251	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.2	733 of 1275	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.7	593 of 1286	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.8	591 of 1276	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.9	526 of 1226	57.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	67.5	168 of 669	74.9%	★★★★☆
2022	60.9	186 of 662	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	68.2	134 of 590	77.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	43.5	445 of 788	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.9	501 of 1229	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	582 of 1219	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.2	841 of 1234	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	831 of 1221	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.7	703 of 1019	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.6	778 of 1217	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.3	669 of 1161	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	57.3	336 of 829	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.0	286 of 1271	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	72.9	279 of 1264	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	58.6	429 of 1292	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.3	592 of 1286	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.5	277 of 1296	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	75.9	229 of 1223	81.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	70 of 812	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	52.7	267 of 802	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.5	78 of 781	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	76.4	92 of 792	88.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	91.3	32 of 754	95.8%	★★★★★
2025	89.2	59 of 884	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	87.5	75 of 875	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	71.8	210 of 905	76.8%	★★★★☆
2018	87.2	66 of 889	92.6%	★★★★★

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)

Elementary school

Hispanic (2025)97th percentile+33 vs school

Special Education (2025)85th percentile+20 vs school

White (2026)83rd percentile+37 vs school

African American (2025)56th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)55th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2026)51st percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile-10 vs school

Middle school

White (2026)96th percentile+28 vs school

Special Education (2025)91st percentile+15 vs school

African American (2025)78th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile~ school

Male (2026)59th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)58th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts59%+3 vs state

Science54%+5 vs state

Mathematics45%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISA Science (2026)		IAR English Language Arts (2026)							IAR Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th 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 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School	Public	K-8	2424 Lake St	Evanston	60201	Cook County	Evanston CCSD 65	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 859-8500	421	51	8.2	50.1%	123 (29.2%)	162 (38.5%)	55 (13.1%)	19 (4.5%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (13.1%)	44.3	935^th of 1737 public elementary schools	46.2%		63.5	733^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	64.3%	202	46.5	62.2	40.0	65.8	46.5	69.4	61.4	68.9	59.3	48.9	50.0	25.6	43.5	54.4	44.4	44.8	98%		$32,699	$942	$31,758
Walker Elementary School	Public	K-5	3601 Church St	Evanston	60203	Cook County	Evanston CCSD 65	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 859-8331	364	32	11.4	36.5%	149 (40.9%)	85 (23.4%)	40 (11.0%)	41 (11.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (13.2%)	66.2	554^th of 1737 public elementary schools	68.1%		74	511^th of 2056 public elementary schools	75.1%	43	62.9		59.7	65.1	74.3				66.9	64.5	44.2	50.0				53.7	99.4%		$26,443	$1,004	$25,439
Dr Bessie Rhodes School Global Studies	Public	K-8	3701 Davis St	Skokie	60076	Cook County	Evanston CCSD 65	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 859-8441	254	27	9.3	70.1%	25 (9.8%)	46 (18.1%)	168 (66.1%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)								(n/a)				56.7					30.8							23.1	97%		$31,489	$1,020	$30,469
John Middleton Elementary School	Public	1-5	8300 Saint Louis Ave	Skokie	60076	Cook County	Skokie School District 73-5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 673-1222	521	47	11.0	33.2%	198 (38.0%)	59 (11.3%)	70 (13.4%)	144 (27.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (8.3%)	64.8	587^th of 1737 public elementary schools	66.2%		76.5	469^th of 2056 public elementary schools	77.2%	118	55.8		62.4	69.8	67.6				66.7	58.7	55.2	44.7				52.6	98.5%		$25,901	$303	$25,598
Dewey Elementary School	Public	K-5	1551 Wesley Ave	Evanston	60201	Cook County	Evanston CCSD 65	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 859-8141	321	29	11.1	28.7%	138 (43.0%)	43 (13.4%)	68 (21.2%)	37 (11.5%)	6 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.0%)	78.4	327^th of 1737 public elementary schools	81.2%		88.6	212^th of 2056 public elementary schools	89.7%	115	77.2		52.5	72.9	73.7				65.7	68.9	77.1	56.1				66.9	98.5%		$26,709	$633	$26,076
Washington Elementary School	Public	K-5	914 Ashland Ave	Evanston	60202	Cook County	Evanston CCSD 65	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 905-4901	410	37	11.1	40.5%	163 (39.8%)	62 (15.1%)	139 (33.9%)	11 (2.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.8%)	68.5	507^th of 1737 public elementary schools	70.8%		66.5	675^th of 2056 public elementary schools	67.2%	168	56.3		68.4	68.8	66.2				67.8	80.7	46.1	47.9				56.4	99%		$28,288	$1,545	$26,743
Lincolnwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	2600 Colfax St	Evanston	60201	Cook County	Evanston CCSD 65	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 859-8881	288	27	10.5	34.7%	155 (53.8%)	90 (31.3%)	19 (6.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.6%)	69.9	478^th of 1737 public elementary schools	72.5%		81.4	366^th of 2056 public elementary schools	82.2%	112	62.2		64.3	67.3	61.4				64.4	62.8	60.4	54.5				59.3	97.5%		$31,750	$1,257	$30,493
Dawes Elementary School	Public	K-5	440 Dodge Ave	Evanston	60202	Cook County	Evanston CCSD 65	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 905-3401	298	29	10.3	47.7%	90 (30.2%)	76 (25.5%)	87 (29.2%)	12 (4.0%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	27 (9.1%)	66.8	539^th of 1737 public elementary schools	69.0%		80.9	377^th of 2056 public elementary schools	81.7%	162	66.7		59.6	69.4	72.5				66.9	53.4	44.9	56.9				51.9	99%		$28,131	$1,392	$26,739
Kingsley Elementary School	Public	K-5	2300 Green Bay Rd	Evanston	60201	Cook County	Evanston CCSD 65	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 859-8401	334	27	12.5	30.8%	182 (54.5%)	90 (26.9%)	20 (6.0%)	11 (3.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.4%)	65.9	559^th of 1737 public elementary schools	67.8%		75.2	495^th of 2056 public elementary schools	75.9%	64	55.6		61.5	67.2	55.6				62.2	73.1	64.2	44.4				61.6	97.2%		$25,261	$633	$24,628
Highland Elementary School	Public	K-5	9700 Crawford Ave	Skokie	60076	Cook County	Skokie School District 68	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 676-5001	316	29	10.8	47.5%	94 (29.7%)	46 (14.6%)	44 (13.9%)	93 (29.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (11.7%)	61.2	652^nd of 1737 public elementary schools	62.5%		79.6	406^th of 2056 public elementary schools	80.3%	246	58.3		45.7	59.6	76.0				60.4	60.9	43.9	60.4				53.9	96.3%		$23,565	$877	$22,688

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School

How many students attend Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 421 students attended Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School.

Is Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School a good school?

Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School ranks 935^th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School?

Students at Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School are 38% African American, 29% White, 13% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

What district is Dr ML King Junior Literary & Fine Arts School in?

Evanston CCSD 65

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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.