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Prairie Trail School

Public Grades 3-5

1653^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Prairie Trail School serves 454 students in grades 3–5 in Wadsworth, within Gurnee School District 56. Its clearest concern is that proficiency remains far below state rates: in 2025–2026, 28% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), 17% in math, and 28% in fifth-grade science, compared with 56%, 40%, and 48% statewide.

Compared with nearby schools serving the same grades, however, Prairie Trail was ahead of the average in all three subjects: by 6 percentage points in ELA, 3 in math, and 8 in fifth-grade science. The district comparison is more mixed: Prairie Trail’s ELA rate was 1 point below the district’s, math was just 0.3 points higher (16.6% versus 16.3%), and science was 3 points below. So the school’s relative strength is against its closest grade-span peers, not against the district or state.

ELA and math have improved since 2023–2024, but not as quickly as state results: Prairie Trail gained 12 points in ELA and 5 in math, while the state gained 15 and 11 points. Its state gaps widened by 3 points in ELA and 6 in math; math also dipped from 20% in 2024–2025 to 17% in 2025–2026. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking fell from the 21st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 5th in 2025–2026, when it had 0 stars; among nearby schools with rankings, it was fourth-lowest. There are encouraging signs, too: chronic absenteeism fell from 29% in 2021–2022 to 19% in 2025–2026, below both district and state rates. In 2024–2025, 59% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. The student-teacher ratio was 14, close to the nearby-school average of 14.1. SchoolDigger’s statewide standing for how well the school serves English Language Learner students fell from the 34th percentile in 2022–2023 to the 18th in 2024–2025; its standing for how well it serves Multi-racial students fell from the 47th percentile in 2017–2018 to the 13th in 2024–2025.

454

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,931

Per pupil spending ?

59.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

97.6%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

13600 W Wadsworth Rd
Wadsworth, IL 60083-8606

(847) 623-4333

District: Gurnee School District 56

Students who attend Prairie Trail School usually attend:

Middle:	Viking School
High:	Warren Township High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.2%

African American:

22.2%

White:

17.4%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Prairie Trail School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2016 → 5th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (24% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg25%

Illinois avg48%

1,653^rd of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 26 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Gurnee School District 56

725^th of 738Gurnee School District 56 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
2026	7.3	1653 of 1737	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	1716 of 2056	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	1643 of 2067	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	1813 of 2077	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	1529 of 2082	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.3	1406 of 1948	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.6	1535 of 2086	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.6	1544 of 2037	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.2	1626 of 2044	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.4	1411 of 2046	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	45.2	1003 of 2052	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	40.6	1303 of 2093	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.3	1319 of 2167	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.3	1338 of 2166	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.8	1243 of 2147	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	65.2	905 of 2139	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	63.6	945 of 2120	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.6	908 of 2092	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.5	867 of 2095	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	73.6	563 of 2086	73.0%	★★★★☆
2005	69.3	694 of 2022	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	72.1	624 of 2030	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2003	72.8	626 of 2020	69.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	28.0	539 of 688	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.7	416 of 655	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.8	512 of 692	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.3	391 of 684	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	181 of 428	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.6	320 of 711	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.4	382 of 698	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	19.0	208 of 234	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.3	207 of 243	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.2	223 of 242	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	21.1	910 of 1049	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	807 of 886	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	782 of 907	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.2	647 of 788	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.2	552 of 826	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	518 of 788	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	336 of 768	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.8	203 of 537	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.5	554 of 743	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	592 of 718	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	4.5	1266 of 1286	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.0	1660 of 1942	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	1506 of 1942	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	1687 of 1957	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	1440 of 1970	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	1337 of 1680	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	1614 of 2019	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.8	1452 of 1964	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	845 of 982	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	699 of 959	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	852 of 970	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.8	628 of 954	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.5	470 of 742	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.6	786 of 955	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	814 of 938	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	1648 of 1800	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	1450 of 1793	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	1652 of 1808	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	1551 of 1763	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.3	1439 of 1514	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	1637 of 1816	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.0	1664 of 1765	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	3.1	1302 of 1311	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	1586 of 1947	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	1556 of 1959	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	1726 of 1984	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.5	1449 of 1977	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	1247 of 1707	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.1	1353 of 2019	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.6	1537 of 1972	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	13.7	104 of 120	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	76 of 93	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.0	41 of 78	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	19.0	1119 of 1292	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	1042 of 1195	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	1008 of 1156	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	952 of 1113	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.5	561 of 640	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.3	977 of 1194	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	624 of 763	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	12.5	1062 of 1149	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.4	1254 of 1389	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	1266 of 1392	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.6	1376 of 1419	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	1284 of 1425	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.1	1068 of 1308	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.0	1182 of 1462	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	1194 of 1463	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)22nd percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)18th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)14th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)13th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)13th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2025)13th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)11th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)8th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)2nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

Science28%-20 vs state

English Language Arts28%-29 vs state

Mathematics17%-23 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, November 17, 2018

OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT SAFE AT PRARIE TRAIL SCHOOL! While the school does try to promote integrity, compassion and respect, many students don't seem to take this serious. There are numerous fist fights throughout the school year, that mainly happen on the school's playground and bus. The people that get hired to care for the students on the playground don't care about the health or safety of any of the students. My kids have come home more than a few times to share horrifying stories that happened on the playground and bus that have left some of their friends bloody or bruised. Sadly, students can't go to these adults when they're scared or need help because they simply have no regard to their concerns- social media and phone time seems to be most important. The busses have cameras and the staff still hasn't been able to control bad students on the bus- this is a safety concern! This school does not take bullying seriously and often reply with stuff like, "it's inevitable and will happen". While things like this might happen, it's up to the school staff to determine what needs to be changed and clearly, this is where they're lacking. Students should be able to obtain fun, loving knowledge in a school that they love attending without feeling scared or worried about their mean, uncontrollable peers. PLEASE TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN EVERYDAY, YOU WILL LIKELY FIND OUT SOMETHING NEW AND DISTURBING :( Close Quote

Schools Near Prairie Trail 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	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	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Prairie Trail School	Public	3-5	13600 W Wadsworth Rd	Wadsworth	60083	Lake County	Gurnee School District 56	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 623-4333	454	32	14.0	59.0%	79 (17.4%)	101 (22.2%)	219 (48.2%)	28 (6.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.7%)	7.3	1653^rd of 1737 public elementary schools	4.8%		18.1	1716^th of 2056 public elementary schools	16.5%	63	27.9	23.2	26.6	33.7	27.6	24.5	14.7	12.5	16.6	97.6%		$19,931	$1,175	$18,756
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%)	13.5	1533^rd of 1737 public elementary schools	11.7%		25.4	1552^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	24.5%	19	29.8	32.1	35.2	36.2	34.4	26.4	24.1	27.7	26.0	100%		$22,642	$1,124	$21,518
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%)	21.2	1358^th of 1737 public elementary schools	21.8%		41.4	1182^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	42.5%	176	26.6	40.0	47.7	48.4	45.4	35.4	28.8	23.4	29.2	96.8%		$20,695	$1,378	$19,317
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%)	8.3	1632^nd of 1737 public elementary schools	6.0%		15.9	1767^th of 2056 public elementary schools	14.1%	135	23.4	20.5	41.2	26.6	28.2	21.9	19.6		18.1	96.9%		$22,661	$1,124	$21,538
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%)	1.7	1736^th of 1737 public elementary schools	0.1%		8.7	1979^th of 2056 public elementary schools	3.7%	243	14.3	10.6	18.4	12.5	13.8				3.6	95.7%		$21,296	$762	$20,534
Newport Elementary School	Public	K-5	15872 W 21st St	Wadsworth	60083	Lake County	Beach Park CCSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 599-5330	261	21	12.3	65.1%	23 (8.8%)	77 (29.5%)	145 (55.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.4%)	20.8	1365^th of 1737 public elementary schools	21.4%		34.4	1334^th of 2056 public elementary schools	35.1%	31	37.5	26.8	49.0	53.1	42.7	26.8	21.6		24.2	98.5%		$22,672	$1,124	$21,549
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%)	2.7	1732^nd of 1737 public elementary schools	0.3%		9.1	1970^th of 2056 public elementary schools	4.2%	238	15.6	15.7	15.5	19.2	16.8	15.7		9.1	10.2	97.9%		$26,707	$891	$25,816
Oakdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2230 N McAree Rd	Waukegan	60087	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-1860	505	27	18.7	66.5%	17 (3.4%)	57 (11.3%)	413 (81.8%)	12 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	4.4	1710^th of 1737 public elementary schools	1.6%		8	1994^th of 2056 public elementary schools	3.0%	284		19.0	16.9	20.3	18.7	25.9	15.4		17.1	99%		$20,098	$1,744	$18,354
Spaulding Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	2000 Belle Plaine Ave	Gurnee	60031	Lake County	Gurnee School District 56	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 662-3701	450	31	14.6	58.2%	78 (17.3%)	106 (23.6%)	209 (46.4%)	25 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.1%)								(n/a)										96.2%		$21,140	$1,400	$19,740
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%)	47	891^st of 1737 public elementary schools	48.7%		41.6	1176^th of 2056 public elementary schools	42.8%	285	46.6	56.0	50.6	55.7	54.1	62.7	46.8	34.1	47.1	98.8%		$21,661	$1,500	$20,161

Frequently Asked Questions about Prairie Trail School

What schools do graduates of Prairie Trail School attend?

Students who attend Prairie Trail School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Viking School
High : Warren Township High School

What is the racial makeup of Prairie Trail School?

Students at Prairie Trail School are 48% Hispanic, 22% African American, 17% White, 6% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend Prairie Trail School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 454 students attended Prairie Trail School.

Is Prairie Trail School a good school?

Prairie Trail School ranks in the bottom 4.8% of Illinois elementary schools.

What district is Prairie Trail School in?

Gurnee School District 56

Rate Prairie Trail School!

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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.