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Cotton Creek School

Q: Is Cotton Creek School a good school?

Cotton Creek School ranks 634 th of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

634^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Cotton Creek School is an elementary school located in Island Lake, Illinois, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 598 students. It is part of the Wauconda CUSD 118 district, which is ranked 295 out of 811 districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cotton Creek School has shown strong academic performance, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA). In the 2024-2025 school year, 61.1% of all grades were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 56.4% for the Wauconda CUSD 118 district and 53.1% for the state of Illinois. This trend holds true across grade levels, with 3rd graders at 72.8% proficient or better in ELA, compared to 60.8% for the district and 47.3% for the state. The school also excels in supporting English Language Learners and students with special needs, ranking 142 out of 788 and 446 out of 1,292 Illinois elementary schools, respectively, in the 2024-2025 school year.

When comparing Cotton Creek School to other nearby schools in the Wauconda CUSD 118 district, it performs relatively well. For example, Robert Crown School, which is also in the district, has a higher statewide ranking and stronger test scores in both ELA and Mathematics. However, Cotton Creek School outperforms Wauconda Grade School, another district school, across most metrics. Despite having a higher percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, Cotton Creek School has been able to maintain strong academic performance, particularly for its low-income and minority student populations.

580

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,583

Per pupil spending ?

36.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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: Improving — 51st percentile in 2015 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (52% vs 44% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Illinois median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg50%

Illinois avg44%

634^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From top 49% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

295^th of 811Wauconda 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile+15 vs school

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

Male (2025)71st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)68th percentile~ school

Female (2025)66th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)65th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)59th percentile-10 vs school

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

Disabled (2025)50th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts61%+8 vs state

Mathematics51%+12 vs state

Science45%+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

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)	% Pneumococcal (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	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	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Pneumococcal All Grades	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%)	68.5	634^th of 2056 public elementary schools	69.2%		59.8	737^th of 2067 public elementary schools	64.3%	103	45.4	72.8	50.5	61.3	61.1	76.5	44.1	36.8	50.7									$21,583	$826	$20,757
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%)	77.1	453^rd of 2056 public elementary schools	78.0%		78	420^th of 2067 public elementary schools	79.7%	33	58.6	55.4	62.7	71.9	63.3	62.3	52.8	56.3	57.0	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5		$19,187	$826	$18,361
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%)	74.1	510^th of 2056 public elementary schools	75.2%		85.9	254^th of 2067 public elementary schools	87.7%	256		52.4	70.3		60.7	56.2	62.2		59.0	95.3	94.7	94.7	94.7	95.3	94.7	95.3	12.8	$19,024	$379	$18,645
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%)	65.2	700^th of 2056 public elementary schools	66.0%		66.5	619^th of 2067 public elementary schools	70.1%	81	50.7	55.6	53.5	51.5	53.4	61.1	49.3	42.6	50.3	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	10.9	$25,460	$826	$24,634
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%)	65.9	691^st of 2056 public elementary schools	66.4%		65.4	643^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	68.9%	48	39.2	60.2	62.4	59.2	60.6	59.0	52.7	35.7	48.5	97.2	96.7	96.7	96.7		96.7	96.7		$16,882	$1,074	$15,808
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%)	68.8	624^th of 2056 public elementary schools	69.6%		57.7	765^th of 2067 public elementary schools	63.0%	141	53.0	53.8	74.7	59.0	62.3	43.6	53.2	46.0	47.5	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0		$13,064	$725	$12,339
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	95.0	95.0	95.0	98.6	95.0	95.4	43.8	$18,741	$1,857	$16,883
Edgebrook Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-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)		50.0			50.0	66.2			66.2	96.7	98.0	98.0	98.0	98.2	98.0	97.8	33.0	$26,314	$1,929	$24,386
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%)	42.5	1152^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	44.0%		36.9	1222^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	40.9%	70	37.2		43.8	50.7	47.2		31.0	26.1	28.5	97.2	97.4	97.4	97.4	97.2	96.5	97.4		$21,814	$779	$21,034
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)		44.0			44.0	42.2			42.2	95.8	96.5	96.5	96.5	96.5	95.5	95.3		$21,064	$612	$20,451

Frequently Asked Questions about Cotton Creek School

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.

What district is Cotton Creek School in?

Wauconda CUSD 118

Is Cotton Creek School a good school?

Cotton Creek School ranks 634^th of 2056 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cotton Creek School?

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

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

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Schools in Island Lake, IL

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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.