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Waterloo High School

Q: Is Waterloo High School a good school?

Waterloo High School ranks 107 th of 620 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

107^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 620 Illinois High Schools

Better than 83% of Illinois high schools

Summary

Waterloo High School serves grades 9–12 and enrolls 876 students in Waterloo, Illinois; it is the second-largest school among its nearby comparisons. SchoolDigger ranks it 107th among 620 Illinois high schools, in the 83rd percentile with four stars. The strongest overall takeaway is that 2025–26 proficiency was above state levels in every reported subject and grade.

Grades 9–10 are particular strengths compared with nearby schools: Waterloo had the highest science proficiency in both grades, at 61% and 60%, and led in grade 9 math at 62%. Grade 11 math is a relative weak spot: Waterloo scored 49%, ranking fifth among nearby schools with reported results; Columbia High School, Freeburg Community High School, New Athens High School and Red Bud High School scored higher. Even so, grade 11 results were above the state: Waterloo’s ELA, math and science scores were 59%, 49% and 58%, versus 50%, 40% and 48% statewide. Reported school and Waterloo CUSD 5 proficiency results match.

Grade 11 ACT results declined from the prior year: ELA fell 7 points and math fell 7 points, though Waterloo remained above the state in both. SchoolDigger’s overall percentile eased from 89 in 2023–24 to 83 in 2025–26, while its rating stayed at four stars. In 2024–25, the student-teacher ratio was 17.1, the highest among nearby schools, and 20% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, below the nearby-school average of 35%. SchoolDigger’s ranking for Special Education Students was 48th percentile in 2025–26, down 28 points from the prior year and well below the school’s overall 83rd percentile. Its Low Socio Economic Status Students ranking was 72nd percentile, after rising from 43 in 2023–24 to 78 in 2024–25.

876

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,026

Per pupil spending ?

20.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

99.1%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

505 E Bulldog
Waterloo, IL 62298-0130

(618) 939-3455

District: Waterloo CUSD 5

Feeder schools for Waterloo High School:

Elementary:	Gardner Elementary School
	Rogers Elementary School
	W J Zahnow Elementary School
Middle:	Waterloo Junior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.8%

Two or more races:

3.5%

Hispanic:

2.7%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Waterloo High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 83rd percentile in 2016 → 83rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (58% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of Illinois high schools

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Illinois average (90%)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg58%

Illinois avg47%

107^th of 620

Illinois public high schools ?

Top 17%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Illinois High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

131^st of 738Waterloo CUSD 5 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	77.3	107 of 620	82.7%	★★★★☆
2025	80.8	106 of 698	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	76 of 697	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	83.9	88 of 699	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	86.6	74 of 699	89.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.1	106 of 688	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	88.5	68 of 701	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	86.9	67 of 647	89.6%	★★★★☆
2017	82.8	90 of 642	86.0%	★★★★☆
2016	71.1	109 of 643	83.0%	★★★★☆
2015	98.7	8 of 614	98.7%	★★★★★
2014	78.5	136 of 670	79.7%	★★★★☆
2013	78.1	133 of 670	80.1%	★★★★☆
2012	78.2	128 of 665	80.8%	★★★★☆
2011	78.8	122 of 655	81.4%	★★★★☆
2010	79.5	113 of 643	82.4%	★★★★☆
2009	74.3	162 of 632	74.4%	★★★★☆
2008	72.6	157 of 624	74.8%	★★★★☆
2007	74.1	152 of 612	75.2%	★★★★☆
2006	74.0	139 of 596	76.7%	★★★★☆
2005	75.4	123 of 590	79.2%	★★★★☆
2004	75.7	117 of 592	80.2%	★★★★☆
2003	74.8	133 of 586	77.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	179 of 491	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	27.0	261 of 429	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.9	85 of 428	80.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	104 of 545	80.9%	★★★★☆
2025	80.9	100 of 685	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	93.5	47 of 664	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	89.2	59 of 656	91.0%	★★★★★
2022	89.8	51 of 658	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	82.5	103 of 639	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	90.3	51 of 665	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	88.5	52 of 620	91.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	65.1	136 of 478	71.5%	★★★★☆
2025	68.6	145 of 672	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	39.3	365 of 639	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.2	222 of 644	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.4	296 of 626	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.6	101 of 611	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	91.1	30 of 639	95.3%	★★★★★
2018	71.8	100 of 585	82.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	67.4	141 of 521	72.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.0	119 of 685	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	78.6	114 of 668	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	75.2	129 of 668	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	78.4	112 of 664	83.1%	★★★★☆
2021	77.3	110 of 653	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	84.9	83 of 675	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	82.0	90 of 619	85.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	57.3	83 of 211	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	123 of 238	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.5	124 of 527	76.5%	★★★★☆
2024	62.8	120 of 482	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	42.7	204 of 476	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.5	129 of 493	73.8%	★★★★☆
2021	70.4	66 of 453	85.4%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	43 of 473	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	75.8	46 of 374	87.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	62.6	154 of 515	70.1%	★★★★☆
2025	66.5	157 of 564	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	106 of 554	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	72.1	129 of 557	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	74.3	113 of 560	79.8%	★★★★☆
2021	70.1	132 of 553	76.1%	★★★★☆
2019	78.5	98 of 552	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	76.8	109 of 548	80.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)81st percentile~ school

Male (2026)73rd percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)72nd percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)70th percentile-13 vs school

Disabled (2025)64th percentile-21 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)61st percentile-24 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts59%+9 vs state

Science58%+10 vs state

Mathematics49%+10 vs state

4.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a student on FaceBook
Thursday, December 6, 2012

The teachers go out of there way to help, some don't. Always there for extra help for tutoring or after school things. They all have a smile on there face, a warm heart and the heart to help you. I loved the school when I went there, now my daughter's in first grade there. She loved it and likes to go to school. Close Quote

Schools Near Waterloo High 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)				PreACT Secure English Language Arts (2026)		PreACT Secure Mathematics (2026)		PreACT Secure Science (2026)		ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (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	PreACT Secure English Language Arts 9th Grade	PreACT Secure English Language Arts 10th Grade	PreACT Secure Mathematics 9th Grade	PreACT Secure Mathematics 10th Grade	PreACT Secure Science 9th Grade	PreACT Secure Science 10th Grade	ACT English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT Science 11th Grade	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Waterloo High School	Public	9-12	505 E Bulldog	Waterloo	62298	Monroe County	Waterloo CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	No	(618) 939-3455	876	51	17.1	20.0%	813 (92.8%)	2 (0.2%)	24 (2.7%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.5%)	77.3	107^th of 620 public high schools	82.7%		80.8	106^th of 698 public high schools	84.8%	1	70.6	59.3	61.9	47.2	61.3	59.6	58.6	49.3	57.7	99.1%		$13,026	$496	$12,530
Valmeyer High School	Public	9-12	300 S Cedar Bluff Dr	Valmeyer	62295	Monroe County	Valmeyer CUSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 935-2100	106	11	9.6	20.8%	101 (95.3%)	2 (1.9%)	3 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33.9	429^th of 620 public high schools	30.8%		46.5	378^th of 698 public high schools	45.8%	51	48.4	48.3				34.5				100%		$18,703	$526	$18,177
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	77 Veterans Pkwy	Columbia	62236	Monroe County	Columbia CUSD 4	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 281-5001	606	38	16.1	15.2%	561 (92.6%)	5 (0.8%)	24 (4.0%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	80.8	88^th of 620 public high schools	85.8%		81.9	100^th of 698 public high schools	85.7%	12	79.1	65.7	60.4	47.6	57.6	56.6	61.8	58.0	58.0	97.6%		$14,263	$437	$13,826
CCSI Alternative School	Public	9-12	6137 Beck Rd	Red Bud	62278	Monroe County	Monroe/Randolph ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(618) 473-2222	0	0	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Career Center of Southern Illinois	Public	11-12	6137 Beck Rd	Red Bud	62278	Monroe County	Monroe/Randolph ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(618) 437-2222	0	0	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Monroe/Randolph Red Brick School	Public	6-12	134 N Main St	Red Bud	62278	Randolph County	Monroe/Randolph ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(618) 473-8945	0	2	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Red Bud High School	Public	9-12	815 Locust St	Red Bud	62278	Randolph County	Red Bud CUSD 132	No	(n/a)	No	No	(618) 282-3826	396	29	13.6	31.8%	373 (94.2%)	4 (1.0%)	12 (3.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	62.4	197^th of 620 public high schools	68.2%		66.2	202^nd of 698 public high schools	71.1%	5	67.4	56.0	48.4	33.3	51.6	48.6	46.9	50.0	53.1	99.2%		$17,202	$143	$17,059
Dupo High School	Public	9-12	600 Louisa Ave	Dupo	62239	St. Clair County	Community Unit School District No 196	No	(n/a)	No	No	(618) 286-3214	259	24	10.8	67.2%	212 (81.9%)	9 (3.5%)	14 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.3%)	29.1	456^th of 620 public high schools	26.5%		29.6	509^th of 698 public high schools	27.1%	53	62.1	37.3	37.9	19.6	35.1	23.5	35.0	30.0	30.0	99.6%		$21,369	$282	$21,086
Freeburg Community High School	Public	9-12	401 S Monroe St	Freeburg	62243	St. Clair County	Freeburg CHSD 77	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 539-5533	689	45	15.2	18.1%	626 (90.9%)	8 (1.2%)	19 (2.8%)	10 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.6%)	71.2	140^th of 620 public high schools	77.4%		82.9	94^th of 698 public high schools	86.5%	46	65.3	57.5	55.8	40.9	47.3	54.8	66.7	54.5	54.5	99.3%		$14,115	$278	$13,837
New Athens High School	Public	9-12	501 Hanft St	New Athens	62264	St. Clair County	New Athens CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	No	(618) 475-2173	164	14	11.7	31.7%	155 (94.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	56.7	240^th of 620 public high schools	61.3%		61.7	236^th of 698 public high schools	66.2%	4	56.5	45.7	43.5	37.1	47.8	42.9	53.1	50.0	56.3	100%		$18,017	$00	$18,017

Frequently Asked Questions about Waterloo High School

What district is Waterloo High School in?

Waterloo CUSD 5

What schools feed into Waterloo High School?

Waterloo High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Gardner Elementary School
Elementary : Rogers Elementary School
Elementary : W J Zahnow Elementary School
Middle : Waterloo Junior High School

What is the racial makeup of Waterloo High School?

Students at Waterloo High School are 93% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Waterloo High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 876 students attended Waterloo High School.

Is Waterloo High School a good school?

Waterloo High School ranks 107^th of 620 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Waterloo High 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.