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Cotton Creek School

Q: Is Cotton Creek School a good school?

Cotton Creek School ranks 801 st of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

801^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Cotton Creek School is a PK–5 elementary school serving 580 students in Island Lake, in Wauconda CUSD 118. Its 2025–2026 proficiency rates were above state and district averages overall, but results differed sharply by grade: fourth grade was a standout, while fifth grade was the clearest concern. The most important takeaway is that fifth-grade math and science results were weak, with 29% proficient in math and 46% in science.

ELA is the school’s strongest area compared with nearby schools, while math trails many local peers. Overall, 64% of Cotton Creek students were proficient in ELA, versus 56% statewide and 59% in the district; among 10 schools with results, it ranked fourth. Fourth-grade ELA was especially strong at 78%, higher than the nearby schools with comparable results; Deer Path Elementary School was next at 71%. In math, 44% were proficient—above the state’s 40% and district’s 42%, but below the nearby-school average of 49%; Cotton Creek ranked eighth of 10. Fifth-grade results also lagged locally: Cotton Creek’s 29% proficiency in math was above only Chauncey H Duker School among schools with results.

ELA has improved substantially, rising from 36% in 2023–2024 to 64% in 2025–2026, while math rose from 36% to 44% over those years but fell from 51% the previous year. SchoolDigger gave Cotton Creek 3 stars and ranked it at the 54th percentile in 2025–2026, down 15 percentile points from the prior year but still above the statewide midpoint. Its 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 12, close to the nearby average of 12.6; 36% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, compared with a nearby average of 33%. SchoolDigger’s effectiveness ranking for female students was at the 32nd percentile in 2025–2026, below the school’s overall 54th percentile. For English Language Learner Students, it was at the 82nd percentile in 2024–2025, compared with the school’s overall 69th percentile that year; this subgroup ranking was not reported for 2025–2026.

580

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,423

Per pupil spending ?

36.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

96.9%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

545 Newport Ct
Island Lake, IL 60042-9137

(847) 526-4700

District: Wauconda CUSD 118

Students who attend Cotton Creek School usually attend:

Middle:	Matthews Middle School
High:	Wauconda High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.6%

Hispanic:

34.0%

African American:

3.8%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Cotton Creek School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 58th percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Illinois median (54th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg51%

Illinois avg48%

801^st of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Wauconda CUSD 118

385^th of 738Wauconda CUSD 118 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	52.4	801 of 1737	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.5	634 of 2056	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.8	737 of 2067	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.1	795 of 2077	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.1	900 of 2082	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.7	917 of 1948	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.9	781 of 2086	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.4	808 of 2037	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.7	948 of 2044	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.8	855 of 2046	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.2	1004 of 2052	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	59.1	892 of 2093	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.3	799 of 2167	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	73.3	618 of 2166	71.5%	★★★★☆
2011	79.1	397 of 2147	81.5%	★★★★☆
2010	76.9	480 of 2139	77.6%	★★★★☆
2009	77.9	440 of 2120	79.2%	★★★★☆
2008	76.9	463 of 2092	77.9%	★★★★☆
2007	80.7	267 of 2095	87.3%	★★★★☆
2006	72.6	604 of 2086	71.0%	★★★★☆
2005	75.4	470 of 2022	76.8%	★★★★☆
2004	79.2	365 of 2030	82.0%	★★★★☆
2003	78.0	421 of 2020	79.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	43.4	529 of 1049	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.3	247 of 886	72.1%	★★★★☆
2023	50.3	332 of 907	63.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	69.6	142 of 788	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	36.5	534 of 826	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	578 of 788	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.3	290 of 768	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.9	78 of 537	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	46.8	340 of 743	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.6	91 of 718	87.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	34.1	869 of 1286	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.7	657 of 1942	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	846 of 1942	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.9	796 of 1957	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.2	1017 of 1970	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.2	964 of 1680	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.8	878 of 2019	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.3	1111 of 1964	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	53.6	217 of 536	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.9	317 of 982	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.3	463 of 959	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	384 of 970	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.5	512 of 954	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.5	263 of 742	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.6	458 of 955	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.1	377 of 938	59.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	356 of 1001	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	75.4	282 of 1800	84.3%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	352 of 1793	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.6	370 of 1808	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	57.1	613 of 1763	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.5	278 of 1514	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	64.4	474 of 1816	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	65.2	440 of 1765	75.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	54.5	590 of 1311	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.7	558 of 1947	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	64.8	592 of 1959	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	722 of 1984	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.4	676 of 1977	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.6	742 of 1707	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.2	644 of 2019	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.9	495 of 1972	74.9%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2019	52.2	6 of 12	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	49.4	107 of 201	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.0	446 of 1292	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.3	341 of 1195	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	46.5	512 of 1156	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.1	402 of 1113	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.0	331 of 640	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.8	363 of 1194	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.7	178 of 763	76.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	678 of 1149	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	59.6	568 of 1389	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.5	612 of 1392	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.5	764 of 1419	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	751 of 1425	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.5	894 of 1308	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.9	670 of 1462	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.2	788 of 1463	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)82nd percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)55th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2019)50th percentile-13 vs school

Disabled (2025)50th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2026)47th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-13 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts64%+8 vs state

Science46%~ state avg

Mathematics44%+5 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, October 15, 2016

So happy with this school. Everyone is super. Teachers are awesome. Office staff awesome. Child has learned a lot. Learning is pushed and parent involvement expected. No bullying allowed. Respect is taught constantly. Good students are rewarded. Mean students are sent to the office. AWESOME. Close Quote

by a citizen
Wednesday, July 20, 2011

this principal is very inept, rude & cold. many families home school or send their children to private school. another option would be to petition to have your child sent to another indistrict Wauconda Elementary school. i am not afraid to voice my opinion, as many are afraid to do so. sad to say the school superintendant supports this woman too much, as she was also allowed to act the way she does when she was assistant principal. you get what you pay for, don't send your child to Wauconda...dont buy real estate here is the best advice sad to say. Close Quote

Schools Near Cotton Creek 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
Cotton Creek School	Public	PK, KG-5	545 Newport Ct	Island Lake	60042	McHenry County	Wauconda CUSD 118	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 526-4700	580	48	12.0	36.4%	328 (56.6%)	22 (3.8%)	197 (34.0%)	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.3%)	52.4	801^st of 1737 public elementary schools	53.9%		68.5	634^th of 2056 public elementary schools	69.2%	167	46.2	61.1	77.6	53.8	63.8	50.5	54.8	28.6	44.4	96.9%		$23,423	$259	$23,165
Robert Crown School	Public	K-5	620 W Bonner Rd	Wauconda	60084	Lake County	Wauconda CUSD 118	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 526-7100	776	67	11.6	23.5%	490 (63.1%)	20 (2.6%)	182 (23.5%)	38 (4.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (5.8%)	68.8	497^th of 1737 public elementary schools	71.4%		77.1	453^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	78.0%	44	63.1	61.7	68.0	69.1	66.6	68.7	55.5	43.6	54.8	97.2%		$19,495	$259	$19,236
Prairie Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3223 IL Route 176	Crystal Lake	60014	McHenry County	Prairie Grove Central School District 46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 459-3023	552	42	13.0	21.9%	457 (82.8%)	5 (0.9%)	51 (9.2%)	18 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.8%)	63.6	608^th of 1737 public elementary schools	65.0%		74.1	510^th of 2056 public elementary schools	75.2%	98		61.2	65.7		63.5	58.3	52.9		55.6	95.4%		$19,178	$282	$18,896
Wauconda Grade School	Public	PK, KG-5	225 Osage St	Wauconda	60084	Lake County	Wauconda CUSD 118	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 526-6671	421	44	9.5	39.7%	212 (50.4%)	0 (0.0%)	193 (45.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.1%)	45	926^th of 1737 public elementary schools	46.7%		65.2	700^th of 2056 public elementary schools	66.0%	226	38.9	55.1	67.3	40.8	53.1	58.0	51.9	31.0	46.4	98.5%		$25,011	$259	$24,753
Deer Path Elementary School	Public	K-5	2211 Crystal Lake Rd	Cary	60013	McHenry County	Cary CCSD 26	No	(n/a)	No	No	(224) 357-5350	452	32	14.2	25.7%	334 (73.9%)	9 (2.0%)	86 (19.0%)	16 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	65.1	579^th of 1737 public elementary schools	66.7%		65.9	691^st of 2056 public elementary schools	66.4%	112	55.6	54.5	71.3	64.9	64.0	63.6	62.8	43.9	55.9	96.1%		$17,623	$759	$16,864
Three Oaks School	Public	K-5	1514 3 Oaks Rd	Cary	60013	McHenry County	Cary CCSD 26	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 357-5450	443	41	10.7	33.0%	278 (62.8%)	4 (0.9%)	138 (31.2%)	6 (1.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.4%)	62.4	629^th of 1737 public elementary schools	63.8%		68.8	624^th of 2056 public elementary schools	69.6%	5	59.3	60.4	62.2	76.5	66.0	60.0	37.8	50.6	50.0	94.1%		$13,786	$522	$13,264
Oak Knoll Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	409 1St St	Cary	60013	McHenry County	Cary CCSD 26	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 357-5550	316	20	16.2	25.0%	236 (74.7%)	2 (0.6%)	60 (19.0%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.4%)								(n/a)										96.1%		$21,570	$1,832	$19,738
Edgebrook Elementary School	Public	K-3	701 N Green St	Mchenry	60050	McHenry County	McHenry CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(779) 244-1200	494	46	10.7	46.0%	335 (67.8%)	8 (1.6%)	124 (25.1%)	7 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.6%)								(n/a)		45.8			45.8	42.7			42.7	96.5%		$23,383	$833	$22,550
Chauncey H Duker School	Public	4-5	3711 W Kane Ave	McHenry	60050	McHenry County	McHenry CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(779) 244-1100	433	37	11.7	43.2%	289 (66.7%)	12 (2.8%)	109 (25.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.4%)	20.7	1369^th of 1737 public elementary schools	21.2%		42.5	1152^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	44.0%	217	43.5		44.2	38.0	40.8		29.4	20.4	24.6	98%		$19,551	$906	$18,645
Hilltop Elementary School	Public	K-3	2615 W Lincoln Rd	McHenry	60051	McHenry County	McHenry CCSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(779) 244-1300	424	34	12.5	44.8%	273 (64.4%)	18 (4.2%)	115 (27.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.0%)								(n/a)		37.7			37.7	57.9			57.9	93.9%		$19,261	$741	$18,520

Frequently Asked Questions about Cotton Creek School

Is Cotton Creek School a good school?

Cotton Creek School ranks 801^st of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cotton Creek School?

Students at Cotton Creek School are 57% White, 34% Hispanic, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Cotton Creek School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 580 students attended Cotton Creek School.

What district is Cotton Creek School in?

Wauconda CUSD 118

What schools do graduates of Cotton Creek School attend?

Students who attend Cotton Creek School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Matthews Middle School
High : Wauconda High School

Rate Cotton Creek 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)NewOct 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.