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John R Lewis Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

975^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 13% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

John R Lewis Middle School serves 721 students in grades 6–8 in Waukegan, in an area with nearby schools ranging from local district peers to higher-performing suburban schools. Its 2025–2026 results are stronger than those of other Waukegan middle schools in the comparison, but remain below state proficiency levels. The key takeaway is that the school stands out within its district while students’ results still trail the state.

The school’s strongest results are in English language arts (ELA): 39% of students were proficient, 11 percentage points above the Waukegan CUSD 60 average and 17 points below the state. Math proficiency was 22%—2 points above the district and 18 below the state—and grade 8 science proficiency was 38%, 12 points above the district and 14 below the state. Among nine nearby schools serving grades 6–8, Lewis ranked third in ELA, math, and grade 8 science. The higher-scoring nearby schools included Lake Bluff Middle School and Woodland Middle School.

Scores have improved since 2023–2024: ELA rose from 27% to 39%, and math from 13% to 22%, but the school has not caught up with the state. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking fell from the 30th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 13th percentile in 2025–2026, when it received 1 star; rising test scores do not explain that decline. In 2024–2025, 74% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, and the student-teacher ratio was 11.2, compared with a nearby-school average of 11.9. Chronic absenteeism improved by 8 percentage points from 2022–2023, but was still 31% in 2025–2026, above the state’s 24%. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well the school serves Homeless Students dropped from the 38th percentile in 2022–2023 to the 7th in 2024–2025; its measure for African American Students fell from the 50th to the 28th percentile over those years.

721

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,073

Per pupil spending ?

74.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

98.7%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

600 S Lewis Ave
Waukegan, IL 60085-6102

(224) 303-2560

District: Waukegan CUSD 60

Students who attend John R Lewis Middle School usually attend:

High:

Waukegan High School

Feeder schools for John R Lewis Middle School:

Elementary:	Carman-Buckner Elementary School
	Clearview Elementary School
	Lyon Magnet Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.9%

African American:

14.0%

White:

3.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare John R Lewis Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 30th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Waukegan CUSD 60

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (33% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 24% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg25%

Illinois avg49%

975^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 5Middle Schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60

716^th of 738Waukegan 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
2026	15.2	975 of 1126	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.7	953 of 1368	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.5	952 of 1363	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.8	969 of 1367	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.4	867 of 1369	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.7	681 of 1241	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.1	928 of 1356	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.6	963 of 1293	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.6	990 of 1293	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.4	909 of 1294	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.4	840 of 1302	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	18.7	1127 of 1322	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.2	1200 of 1367	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	11.1	1263 of 1365	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	14.8	1198 of 1344	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	13.9	1177 of 1327	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	23.8	1065 of 1318	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	16.3	1112 of 1293	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.1	994 of 1287	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	37.0	904 of 1272	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	29.6	897 of 1209	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	18.4	975 of 1204	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	42.1	752 of 1185	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	30.7	415 of 574	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.9	333 of 548	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.4	283 of 569	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.2	280 of 573	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.4	194 of 385	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.0	334 of 565	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.1	370 of 511	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	537 of 694	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	462 of 639	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.8	472 of 674	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	65 of 81	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.6	444 of 483	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	454 of 486	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.6	452 of 480	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	369 of 454	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	55.2	60 of 277	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	31.2	288 of 339	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.8	206 of 285	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	7.2	808 of 867	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	26.8	916 of 1248	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.1	878 of 1251	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	930 of 1275	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.4	872 of 1286	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.7	701 of 1017	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.0	968 of 1276	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.8	950 of 1226	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	24.7	376 of 483	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.2	423 of 669	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	427 of 643	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	459 of 661	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.9	365 of 662	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.8	198 of 517	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.4	362 of 639	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	420 of 590	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	54 of 58	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	66 of 70	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	35.2	33 of 53	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.3	13 of 36	63.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	677 of 788	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.3	886 of 1229	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	825 of 1219	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.5	869 of 1234	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.0	656 of 1221	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.2	461 of 1019	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.9	869 of 1217	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	897 of 1161	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	15.5	712 of 829	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.4	851 of 1271	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.1	887 of 1264	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	892 of 1292	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.2	758 of 1286	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.3	555 of 1048	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.3	767 of 1296	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.0	868 of 1223	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	665 of 812	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	684 of 802	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	587 of 805	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.3	566 of 781	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	541 of 548	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	700 of 792	11.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.7	473 of 602	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)28th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2025)23rd percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)22nd percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)20th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)18th percentile-12 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)7th percentile-23 vs school

Female (2026)7th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts39%-17 vs state

Science38%-14 vs state

Mathematics22%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near John R Lewis Middle 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	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th 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 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th 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
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%)	15.2	975^th of 1126 public middle schools	13.4%		28.7	953^rd of 1368 public middle schools	30.3%	22		38.0		33.0	38.6	45.8	39.0		24.0	24.2	16.6	21.7	98.7%		$24,073	$1,643	$22,429
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%)	3.2	1116^th of 1126 public middle schools	0.9%		12.3	1269^th of 1368 public middle schools	7.2%	153		13.3		23.3	21.4	23.0	22.5		12.3	8.7	5.7	8.8	99.1%		$21,926	$1,700	$20,226
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%)	4.1	1111^th of 1126 public middle schools	1.3%		12	1276^th of 1368 public middle schools	6.7%	165		22.9		23.8	21.6	25.5	23.9			10.5	11.1	9.2	98.8%		$24,595	$1,806	$22,789
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	—	13 (2.2%)	202 (33.6%)	365 (60.7%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.5%)	5.8	1092^nd of 1126 public middle schools	3.0%		14.3	1225^th of 1368 public middle schools	10.5%	133		26.0		25.2	28.7	31.5	28.6		7.5	15.5	12.9	12.0	100%		$22,829	$1,185	$21,645
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%)	3.3	1115^th of 1126 public middle schools	1.0%		9.4	1324^th of 1368 public middle schools	3.2%	209		23.2		19.9	15.7	23.7	19.6			10.1	8.7	7.9	86.6%		$23,531	$1,766	$21,765
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%)	7.6	1068^th of 1126 public middle schools	5.2%		15.5	1206^th of 1368 public middle schools	11.8%	138		32.0		21.8	30.9	35.8	29.1			17.0	11.9	10.5	98.3%		$21,538	$1,566	$19,971
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%)	5.8	1093^rd of 1126 public middle schools	2.9%		19.1	1138^th of 1368 public middle schools	16.8%	45		32.0		22.6	22.8	25.8	23.7		11.0	11.8	14.0	12.2	99.1%		$20,081	$576	$19,506
Lake Bluff Middle School	Public	6-8	31 E Sheridan Pl	Lake Bluff	60044	Lake County	Lake Bluff Education Service District 65	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 234-9407	305	31	9.9	—	218 (71.5%)	3 (1.0%)	47 (15.4%)	22 (7.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.6%)	85.3	122^nd of 1126 public middle schools	89.2%		92.2	89^th of 1368 public middle schools	93.5%	33		69.2		82.4	82.1	87.0	83.7		54.1	74.5	56.5	62.5	98.3%		$27,872	$460	$27,412
Woodland Middle School	Public	6-8	7000 Washington St	Gurnee	60031	Lake County	Woodland CCSD 50	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 856-3421	1,541	133	11.5	37.8%	556 (36.1%)	147 (9.5%)	587 (38.1%)	157 (10.2%)	6 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	86 (5.6%)	36.4	708^th of 1126 public middle schools	37.1%		49.2	634^th of 1368 public middle schools	53.7%	74		48.9		50.8	57.3	63.8	57.4		28.6	31.8	30.6	30.3	99.5%		$24,799	$393	$24,406
Deer Path Middle School East	Public	5-6	300 S Waukegan Rd	Lake Forest	60045	Lake County	Lake Forest School District 67	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 615-4470	375	38	9.8	—	316 (84.3%)	4 (1.1%)	17 (4.5%)	12 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.9%)								(n/a)	79.4		91.1	86.5			88.7	74.9	71.5			73.1	98.2%		$26,620	$372	$26,249

Frequently Asked Questions about John R Lewis Middle School

How many students attend John R Lewis Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 721 students attended John R Lewis Middle School.

What district is John R Lewis Middle School in?

Waukegan CUSD 60

What is the racial makeup of John R Lewis Middle School?

Students at John R Lewis Middle School are 79% Hispanic, 14% African American, 4% White, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of John R Lewis Middle School attend?

Students who attend John R Lewis Middle School usually go on to attend Waukegan High School

Is John R Lewis Middle School a good school?

John R Lewis Middle School ranks in the bottom 13.4% of Illinois middle schools.

Rate John R Lewis Middle 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.