Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Waukegan High School

Public Grades 9-12
589th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 698 Illinois High Schools
Better than 16% of Illinois high schools
Summary

Waukegan High School is a public high school serving 4,325 students in grades 9-12 in Waukegan, Illinois. 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. Waukegan High School has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Illinois high schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Waukegan High School significantly underperforms the state averages on standardized tests, with only 23.5% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in ACT English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 51.7%, and only 13.5% proficient or better in ACT Mathematics, compared to the state average of 39.3%. The school also has a lower 4-year graduation rate, ranging from 83.8% to 89.0%, and a higher dropout rate, ranging from 2.4% to 6.0%, than the state averages. Additionally, Waukegan High School has a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 25.4% to 55.1%, compared to the state average.

In comparison, nearby high-performing schools such as Libertyville High School, Lake Forest High School, and Warren Township High School consistently outperform Waukegan High School on academic measures, graduation rates, and other key metrics. The district and school leadership at Waukegan High School will need to implement comprehensive strategies to address these challenges and improve student outcomes.

4,186
Students ?
12.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$23,094
Per pupil spending ?
64%
Free/discounted lunch ?
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
83.1%
African American:
10.6%
White:
2.4%
more
 See top rated Illinois high schools

 Compare Waukegan High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2025
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Illinois average (21% vs 48% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)
!Graduation rate below the Illinois average (84% vs 89%)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school21%
District avg21%
Illinois avg48%
589th of 698
Illinois public high schools ?
Bottom 16%▼ down 2 pts since 2015
See the entire ranking list of Illinois High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
760th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202515.0589 of 69815.6%★☆☆☆☆
202421.2537 of 69723.0%★☆☆☆☆
202321.1560 of 69919.9%★☆☆☆☆
202220.9557 of 69920.3%★☆☆☆☆
202114.9591 of 68814.1%★☆☆☆☆
201922.1554 of 70121.0%★☆☆☆☆
201820.3531 of 64717.9%★☆☆☆☆
201719.6529 of 64217.6%★☆☆☆☆
201621.3527 of 64318.0%★☆☆☆☆
201520.2508 of 61417.3%★☆☆☆☆
201414.7568 of 67015.2%★☆☆☆☆
201311.1581 of 67013.3%★☆☆☆☆
201210.4580 of 66512.8%★☆☆☆☆
20119.1570 of 65513.0%★☆☆☆☆
20109.0564 of 64312.3%★☆☆☆☆
200910.1556 of 63212.0%★☆☆☆☆
200811.1543 of 62413.0%★☆☆☆☆
200710.3536 of 61212.4%★☆☆☆☆
20069.1531 of 59610.9%★☆☆☆☆
20058.5530 of 59010.2%★☆☆☆☆
200410.3528 of 59210.8%★☆☆☆☆
200312.4515 of 58612.1%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202528.1232 of 32328.2%★☆☆☆☆
202432.5188 of 29937.1%★★☆☆☆
202341.7144 of 30152.2%★★★☆☆
202237.4163 of 29444.6%★★☆☆☆
202127.0212 of 28124.6%★☆☆☆☆
201936.2161 of 29946.2%★★☆☆☆
201836.7143 of 25343.5%★★☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
20253.2144 of 1482.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20242.1132 of 1373.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202315.2120 of 13410.4%★☆☆☆☆
20227.2131 of 1417.1%☆☆☆☆☆
20210.9133 of 1351.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20197.2120 of 1307.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20186.0123 of 1326.8%☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202523.7425 of 49113.4%★☆☆☆☆
202428.7260 of 42939.4%★★☆☆☆
202332.0257 of 42840.0%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202522.3255 of 28410.2%★☆☆☆☆
202431.3153 of 24838.3%★★☆☆☆
202336.1130 of 21740.1%★★☆☆☆
202233.9137 of 20533.2%★★☆☆☆
202139.079 of 18958.2%★★★☆☆
201934.1116 of 18336.6%★★☆☆☆
201828.0125 of 15117.2%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202513.5594 of 68513.3%★☆☆☆☆
202419.9521 of 66421.5%★☆☆☆☆
202320.3527 of 65619.7%★☆☆☆☆
202220.0522 of 65820.7%★☆☆☆☆
202114.3552 of 63913.6%★☆☆☆☆
201921.7521 of 66521.7%★☆☆☆☆
201819.7511 of 62017.6%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202519.6306 of 36616.4%★☆☆☆☆
202428.0246 of 33626.8%★☆☆☆☆
202326.9254 of 33323.7%★☆☆☆☆
202227.3251 of 33525.1%★☆☆☆☆
202119.6277 of 31712.6%★☆☆☆☆
201929.2232 of 31726.8%★☆☆☆☆
201828.3219 of 29124.7%★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202540.680 of 13842.0%★★☆☆☆
202461.633 of 12573.6%★★★★☆
202343.546 of 10455.8%★★★☆☆
202252.929 of 9870.4%★★★★☆
201924.757 of 9137.4%☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202518.7582 of 67213.4%★☆☆☆☆
202428.7452 of 63929.3%★☆☆☆☆
202327.3492 of 64423.6%★☆☆☆☆
202228.5466 of 62625.6%★☆☆☆☆
202120.8515 of 61115.7%★☆☆☆☆
201928.9475 of 63925.7%★☆☆☆☆
201827.0468 of 58520.0%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202517.4571 of 68516.6%★☆☆☆☆
202422.7507 of 66824.1%★☆☆☆☆
202321.8538 of 66819.5%★☆☆☆☆
202221.5528 of 66420.5%★☆☆☆☆
202115.2564 of 65313.6%★☆☆☆☆
201922.6530 of 67521.5%★☆☆☆☆
201820.7506 of 61918.3%★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202515.7179 of 21115.2%★☆☆☆☆
20247.3175 of 1823.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202233.4111 of 17034.7%★★☆☆☆
201910.2159 of 1653.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201810.1147 of 1544.5%☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202522.7421 of 52720.1%★☆☆☆☆
202424.4360 of 48225.3%★☆☆☆☆
202327.2327 of 47631.3%★★☆☆☆
202232.5285 of 49342.2%★★☆☆☆
202134.1250 of 45344.8%★★☆☆☆
201933.4289 of 47338.9%★★☆☆☆
201835.4211 of 37443.6%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIllinois percentileRating
202525.9446 of 56420.9%★☆☆☆☆
202416.9489 of 55411.7%★☆☆☆☆
202320.5487 of 55712.6%★☆☆☆☆
202226.0438 of 56021.8%★☆☆☆☆
202115.2500 of 5539.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201935.5344 of 55237.7%★★☆☆☆
201825.2434 of 54820.8%★☆☆☆☆
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 (2025)42nd percentile+26 vs school
African American (2025)28th percentile+13 vs school
White (2025)21st percentile+5 vs school
Special Education (2025)20th percentile+4 vs school
Male (2025)17th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2025)16th percentile~ school
Multi-racial (2025)15th percentile~ school
Disabled (2025)13th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile~ school
Female (2025)13th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2025)10th percentile-5 vs school
Asian (2025)3rd percentile-13 vs school
By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?
Science24%-24 vs state
English Language Arts24%-28 vs state
Mathematics14%-26 vs state

No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Waukegan High School and help other families decide.
Rate Waukegan High School
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.



Schools Near Waukegan High School









Frequently Asked Questions about Waukegan High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 4,186 students attended Waukegan High School.

Waukegan High School ranks in the bottom 15.6% of Illinois high schools.

Students at Waukegan High School are 83% Hispanic, 11% African American, 2% White, 2% Asian, 1% Two or more races.


Rate Waukegan High School!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Waukegan High School!




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.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 95 milliseconds.