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Edith M Smith Middle School

Q: Is Edith M Smith Middle School a good school?

Edith M Smith Middle School ranks in the bottom 3.2% of Illinois middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Edith M Smith Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 493 students attended Edith M Smith Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Edith M Smith Middle School?

Students at Edith M Smith Middle School are 82% Hispanic, 11% African American, 4% White, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Edith M Smith Middle School attend?

Students who attend Edith M Smith Middle School usually go on to attend Waukegan High School

Public Grades 6-8

1324^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,368 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 3% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Edith M Smith Middle School is a public middle school in Waukegan, Illinois, serving 489 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Waukegan CUSD 60 district, which is ranked 760 out of 811 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Edith M Smith Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Illinois middle schools over the past 10 years, with a current ranking of 1324 out of 1368 middle schools in the state.

Edith M Smith Middle School significantly underperforms compared to state and district averages on standardized tests, with only 13% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 6.7% proficient or better in mathematics. The school also has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching as high as 37.4% in the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, 74.85% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending of $23,429, it has not shown significant improvement in its performance over the past 10 years.

When comparing Edith M Smith Middle School to other nearby middle schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60 district, such as Jack Benny Middle School and John R Lewis Middle School, it becomes clear that Edith M Smith Middle School is an outlier in terms of academic performance and other key metrics. These nearby schools significantly outperform Edith M Smith Middle School on standardized tests and have lower chronic absenteeism rates.

493

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,545

Per pupil spending ?

72.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

930 New York St
Waukegan, IL 60085-2722

(224) 303-2760

District: Waukegan CUSD 60

Students who attend Edith M Smith Middle School usually attend:

High:

Waukegan High School

Feeder schools for Edith M Smith Middle School:

Elementary:	Glen Flora Elementary School
	Greenwood Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.7%

African American:

10.8%

White:

3.9%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Edith M Smith Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 16th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (11% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 25% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg21%

Illinois avg46%

1,324^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 16% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60

760^th of 811Waukegan CUSD 60 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	9.4	1324 of 1368	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	1237 of 1363	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	1184 of 1367	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.6	1031 of 1369	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.9	945 of 1241	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	1013 of 1356	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	905 of 1293	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	22.7	1022 of 1293	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.5	1030 of 1294	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.1	1093 of 1302	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	11.0	1218 of 1322	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.1	1295 of 1367	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.5	1293 of 1365	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	11.0	1243 of 1344	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	12.8	1190 of 1327	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	10.3	1207 of 1318	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	15.2	1120 of 1293	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	15.2	1111 of 1287	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	13.1	1110 of 1272	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	7.4	1097 of 1209	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	13.1	1026 of 1204	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	13.9	1004 of 1185	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	569 of 574	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	533 of 548	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	508 of 569	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.5	406 of 573	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.4	158 of 385	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.5	443 of 565	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.5	263 of 511	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.4	534 of 694	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.0	482 of 639	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	527 of 674	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.3	471 of 483	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	419 of 486	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	413 of 480	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	390 of 454	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	59.5	43 of 277	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	34.5	260 of 339	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.7	119 of 285	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	1212 of 1248	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	1136 of 1251	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	1064 of 1275	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.3	993 of 1286	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.6	825 of 1017	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	984 of 1276	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.0	868 of 1226	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	9.9	660 of 669	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	581 of 643	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	576 of 661	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	468 of 662	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.7	364 of 517	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.4	435 of 639	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.2	367 of 590	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2019	47.2	17 of 36	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	12.6	1185 of 1229	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	1068 of 1219	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	1018 of 1234	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	923 of 1221	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.4	695 of 1019	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.5	799 of 1217	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	624 of 1161	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	11.0	1214 of 1271	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	1158 of 1264	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	1146 of 1292	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	956 of 1286	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	829 of 1048	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	926 of 1296	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.4	862 of 1223	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	737 of 812	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	727 of 802	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	680 of 805	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	557 of 781	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.5	308 of 548	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.5	652 of 792	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	422 of 602	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2022	3.0	898 of 898	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2019)53rd percentile+27 vs school

Disabled (2025)23rd percentile+20 vs school

Special Education (2025)9th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)1st percentile~ school

African American (2025)1st percentile~ school

White (2022)<1st percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

Science15%-31 vs state

English Language Arts13%-40 vs state

Mathematics7%-32 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Love the Administration! Mrs. Brown is caring and understands how to meet emotional needs. She leads by example. Close Quote

Schools Near Edith M Smith Middle 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)	% Meningococcal (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 8th 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 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th 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	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Edith M Smith Middle School	Public	6-8	930 New York St	Waukegan	60085	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-2760	493	44	11.2	72.2%	19 (3.9%)	53 (10.8%)	403 (81.7%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.2%)	9.4	1324^th of 1368 public middle schools	3.2%		14.5	1237^th of 1363 public middle schools	9.2%	87	14.6	8.7	12.9	17.2	13.0	4.7	10.0	5.7	6.7	96.7	96.1	96.1	96.1	95.2	94.4	95.9	63.3	$22,545	$1,300	$21,244
Miguel Juarez Middle School	Public	6-8	201 N Butrick St	Waukegan	60085	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-2660	651	61	10.6	69.6%	14 (2.2%)	66 (10.1%)	543 (83.4%)	10 (1.5%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (1.8%)	12	1276^th of 1368 public middle schools	6.7%		10.9	1317^th of 1363 public middle schools	3.4%	41	16.6	15.0	10.3	19.0	14.4	11.5	12.4	8.0	10.8	94.7	96.3	96.3	96.3	95.6	95.1	95.5	69.6	$22,276	$1,596	$20,680
Robert E Abbott Middle School	Public	6-8	1319 Washington St	Waukegan	60085	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-2360	585	49	11.9	71.1%	14 (2.4%)	37 (6.3%)	523 (89.4%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	12.3	1269^th of 1368 public middle schools	7.2%		14.8	1232^nd of 1363 public middle schools	9.6%	37	16.8	21.5	16.0	26.8	21.8	7.7	8.6	7.4	7.9	94.4	95.9	95.9	95.9	94.7	94.7	95.3	57.2	$21,327	$1,293	$20,034
Jack Benny Middle School	Public	6-8	1401 Montesano Ave	Waukegan	60087	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-2470	475	38	12.5	62.1%	19 (4.0%)	47 (9.9%)	357 (75.2%)	34 (7.2%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.3%)	15.5	1206^th of 1368 public middle schools	11.8%		13.8	1252^nd of 1363 public middle schools	8.1%	46	22.3	24.0	16.7	22.3	20.9	14.7	14.8	7.7	12.2	95.5	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	93.8	95.3	72.9	$21,158	$1,607	$19,551
John R Lewis Middle School	Public	6-8	600 S Lewis Ave	Waukegan	60085	Lake County	Waukegan CUSD 60	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(224) 303-2560	721	64	11.2	74.1%	26 (3.6%)	101 (14.0%)	569 (78.9%)	9 (1.2%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.1%)	28.7	953^rd of 1368 public middle schools	30.3%		27.5	952^nd of 1363 public middle schools	30.2%	1	29.9	33.2	31.8	38.2	34.5	19.6	20.4	23.5	21.2	94.6	81.9	96.3	96.3	95.5	95.1	95.6	69.6	$23,464	$1,526	$21,938
Viking School	Public	6-8	4460 Old Grand Ave	Gurnee	60031	Lake County	Gurnee School District 56	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 336-2108	461	39	11.8	54.4%	88 (19.1%)	108 (23.4%)	216 (46.9%)	17 (3.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.5%)	19.1	1138^th of 1368 public middle schools	16.8%		25.6	990^th of 1363 public middle schools	27.4%	148	34.1	25.4	16.1	34.7	25.8	6.8	7.5	16.6	10.7	95.2	95.8	95.8	95.8	96.4	95.2	96.8	82.7	$19,652	$740	$18,912
Neal Math Science Academy	Public	6-8	1905 Argonne Dr	North Chicago	60064	Lake County	North Chicago School District 187	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(847) 689-6313	601	39	15.4	98.8%	13 (2.2%)	202 (33.6%)	365 (60.7%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.5%)	14.3	1225^th of 1368 public middle schools	10.5%		16.1	1196^th of 1363 public middle schools	12.3%	29	21.3	24.4	17.2	25.7	22.3	6.9	9.7	12.4	9.8	99.3	99.1	99.1	99.1	99.4	98.1	99.6	96.4	$19,603	$1,141	$18,461
Zion Central Middle School	Public	6-8	1716 27th St	Zion	60099	Lake County	Zion Education Service District 6	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 379-0227	330	30	11.1	85.5%	22 (6.7%)	85 (25.8%)	208 (63.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.9%)	11.1	1292^nd of 1368 public middle schools	5.6%		16.4	1188^th of 1363 public middle schools	12.8%	104	11.5	14.4	26.7	23.0	21.1	7.1	7.7	4.7	6.6	72.5	79.1	78.8	78.0	76.6	84.3	82.6	73.3	$24,986	$1,124	$23,862
Shiloh Park Middle School	Public	6-8	2635 Gabriel Ave	Zion	60099	Lake County	Zion Education Service District 6	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(847) 379-0400	358	27	13.5	85.8%	9 (2.5%)	99 (27.7%)	233 (65.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.7%)	10.8	1298^th of 1368 public middle schools	5.1%		12.2	1283^rd of 1363 public middle schools	5.9%	15	7.1	18.9	19.4	23.2	20.5	8.9	9.3	5.3	7.8	71.5	80.3	80.3	80.3	76.7	77.4	86.2	65.3	$24,475	$1,140	$23,335
Beach Park Middle School	Public	6-8	40667 N Green Bay Rd	Beach Park	60099	Lake County	Beach Park CCSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 596-5860	715	49	14.5	56.8%	68 (9.5%)	142 (19.9%)	451 (63.1%)	11 (1.5%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.3%)	16.8	1178^th of 1368 public middle schools	13.9%		23.8	1027^th of 1363 public middle schools	24.7%	151	19.7	29.4	26.5	32.7	29.4	7.4	8.4	13.2	9.5	91.4	91.4	91.4	91.4	91.4	91.4	91.4	91.4	$19,757	$783	$18,974

Frequently Asked Questions about Edith M Smith Middle School

How many students attend Edith M Smith Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 493 students attended Edith M Smith Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Edith M Smith Middle School?

Students at Edith M Smith Middle School are 82% Hispanic, 11% African American, 4% White, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Edith M Smith Middle School in?

Waukegan CUSD 60

What high school do graduates of Edith M Smith Middle School attend?

Students who attend Edith M Smith Middle School usually go on to attend Waukegan High School

Is Edith M Smith Middle School a good school?

Edith M Smith Middle School ranks in the bottom 3.2% of Illinois middle schools.

Rate Edith M Smith Middle School!

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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.