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Walt Whitman Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1734^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,056 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Walt Whitman Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 409 students in grades PK-5 in Wheeling, Illinois, which is part of the Wheeling CCSD 21 district. The school consistently performs below district and state averages on standardized tests, with only 21% of students proficient or better in ELA and 21.6% in Math, compared to 39.6% and 33.3% for the district, and 53.1% and 38.5% for the state.

Walt Whitman Elementary School also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.5% to 26.3% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. The school's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic students and English Language Learners, who rank in the bottom 5% and 20% of Illinois elementary schools, respectively. Additionally, the school serves a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 66.83% to 78.48% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as Robert Frost Elementary, Eugene Field Elementary, and Booth Tarkington Elementary, Walt Whitman Elementary School performs significantly worse, with higher academic proficiency rates, lower chronic absenteeism, and more economically diverse student populations. The school's ranking among Illinois elementary schools has also steadily declined over the past decade, suggesting that it is struggling to keep up with statewide academic improvements.

378

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,060

Per pupil spending ?

80.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

133 Wille Ave
Wheeling, IL 60090-3127

(847) 520-2795

District: Wheeling CCSD 21

Students who attend Walt Whitman Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Oliver W Holmes Middle School
High:	Wheeling High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.5%

White:

13.2%

African American:

3.7%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Walt Whitman Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (21% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 32 pts below the Illinois average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg37%

Illinois avg44%

1,734^th of 2,056

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Wheeling CCSD 21

600^th of 811Wheeling CCSD 21 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	17.4	1734 of 2056	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	1873 of 2067	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	1902 of 2077	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	1728 of 2082	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	1475 of 1948	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	1853 of 2086	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	1670 of 2037	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.1	1790 of 2044	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.1	1808 of 2046	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.7	1821 of 2052	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	18.3	1791 of 2093	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	13.5	1951 of 2167	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	4.1	2115 of 2166	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.3	2064 of 2147	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	11.9	1947 of 2139	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.6	2027 of 2120	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.3	1968 of 2092	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	35.8	1582 of 2095	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	46.9	1364 of 2086	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	44.8	1335 of 2022	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	46.8	1266 of 2030	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2003	25.0	1612 of 2020	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2023	26.0	719 of 907	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	613 of 788	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.4	675 of 826	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	702 of 788	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	657 of 768	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.7	192 of 537	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.8	652 of 743	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	557 of 718	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	15.1	1711 of 1942	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	1808 of 1942	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	1838 of 1957	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	1530 of 1970	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	1210 of 1680	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	1671 of 2019	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	1717 of 1964	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.9	920 of 982	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	934 of 959	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	957 of 970	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	933 of 954	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	714 of 742	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.2	933 of 955	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	841 of 938	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	1399 of 1800	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	1606 of 1793	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	1670 of 1808	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.4	1468 of 1763	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.2	991 of 1514	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.8	1574 of 1816	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.6	1429 of 1765	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	21.1	1557 of 1947	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	1723 of 1959	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	1714 of 1984	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	1749 of 1977	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.8	1403 of 1707	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.0	1862 of 2019	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.4	1515 of 1972	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	973 of 1292	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.0	773 of 1195	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.5	1024 of 1156	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	1168 of 1194	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2023	22.5	1167 of 1419	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	82.9	165 of 1462	88.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2025)25th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)22nd percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)22nd percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2023)21st percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)20th percentile+4 vs school

White (2023)18th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)12th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics22%-17 vs state

Science21%-19 vs state

English Language Arts21%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Walt Whitman Elementary 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
Walt Whitman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	133 Wille Ave	Wheeling	60090	Cook County	Wheeling CCSD 21	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 520-2795	378	33	11.4	80.2%	50 (13.2%)	14 (3.7%)	289 (76.5%)	14 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	17.4	1734^th of 2056 public elementary schools	15.7%		14.3	1873^rd of 2067 public elementary schools	9.4%	139	21.2	25.5	16.9	21.2	21.0	21.8	22.0	21.2	21.6	93.1	94.3	94.3	94.3		93.3	93.6	16.7	$23,060	$781	$22,279
Mark Twain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	515 E Merle Ln	Wheeling	60090	Cook County	Wheeling CCSD 21	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 520-2785	524	41	12.7	74.4%	60 (11.5%)	24 (4.6%)	391 (74.6%)	38 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.1%)	22.6	1604^th of 2056 public elementary schools	22.0%		26.6	1499^th of 2067 public elementary schools	27.5%	105	29.0	6.0	36.7	37.1	25.9	16.4	26.7	19.4	20.6	95.7	95.9	95.9	95.9		92.8	95.9		$21,463	$865	$20,598
Eugene Field Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	51 Saint Armand Ln	Wheeling	60090	Cook County	Wheeling CCSD 21	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 520-2780	613	39	15.9	75.0%	109 (17.8%)	12 (2.0%)	439 (71.6%)	42 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.6%)	19.5	1678^th of 2056 public elementary schools	18.4%		20.3	1672^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	19.1%	6	20.6	26.0	27.0	28.7	27.4	23.7	24.3	17.6	21.3	96.4	95.7	95.7	95.7		96.4	98.6		$20,655	$604	$20,051
Hickory Point Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	500 Laburnum Dr	Northbrook	60062	Cook County	Northbrook Education Service District 27	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 498-3830	425	37	11.6		275 (64.7%)	4 (0.9%)	18 (4.2%)	105 (24.7%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	19 (4.5%)								(n/a)										95.7	96.0	96.0	96.0	4.5	95.5	96.2	4.5	$25,586	$104	$25,482
Booth Tarkington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	310 Scott St	Wheeling	60090	Cook County	Wheeling CCSD 21	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 520-2775	540	38	14.2	45.4%	162 (30.0%)	20 (3.7%)	178 (33.0%)	143 (26.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.7%)	55.6	894^th of 2056 public elementary schools	56.5%		43.3	1082^nd of 2067 public elementary schools	47.7%	188	48.7	43.7	43.5	45.0	44.1	49.3	47.1	48.8	48.4	98.5	98.2	98.2	98.2	99.8	97.8	98.2		$22,628	$628	$22,000
Earl Pritchett School	Public	K-3	200 Horatio Blvd	Buffalo Grove	60089	Lake County	Aptakisic-Tripp CCSD 102	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 353-5706	430	36	11.9		139 (32.3%)	5 (1.2%)	18 (4.2%)	248 (57.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.7%)								(n/a)		73.5			73.5	67.5			67.5	95.6	95.8	96.2	95.8	99.2	94.8	95.6		$19,502	$1,310	$18,192
Robert Frost Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1805 N Aspen Dr	Mount Prospect	60056	Cook County	Wheeling CCSD 21	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 803-4815	532	37	14.3	57.9%	117 (22.0%)	9 (1.7%)	257 (48.3%)	114 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.6%)	27.1	1506^th of 2056 public elementary schools	26.8%		19.9	1686^th of 2067 public elementary schools	18.4%	180	27.9	25.0	29.6	32.8	29.0	41.2	32.1	16.4	30.2	95.2	95.6	95.6	95.6	11.5	94.1	95.0	11.5	$21,476	$809	$20,667
Anne Sullivan Elementary School	Public	4-5	700 N Schoenbeck Rd	Prospect Heights	60070	Cook County	Prospect Heights School District 23	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 870-3865	329	25	13.1	36.8%	208 (63.2%)	6 (1.8%)	64 (19.5%)	38 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.0%)	79	415^th of 2056 public elementary schools	79.8%		80	361^st of 2067 public elementary schools	82.5%	54	65.2		58.9	71.0	65.0		51.0	57.8	54.4	96.9	96.9	96.9	96.9		95.3	97.5		$18,999	$486	$18,513
South Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1421 Hackberry Rd	Deerfield	60015	Lake County	Deerfield School District 109	No	(n/a)	No	No	(847) 945-5895	424	35	12.0		347 (81.8%)	3 (0.7%)	27 (6.4%)	27 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.5%)	95.4	58^th of 2056 public elementary schools	97.2%		93.8	136^th of 2067 public elementary schools	93.4%	78	66.7	76.9	87.0	94.7	85.7	83.1	88.9	77.2	82.6	98.9	99.3	99.3	99.3	100.0	99.1	99.1	16.4	$21,567	$381	$21,186
Betsy Ross Elementary School	Public	2-3	700 N Schoenbeck Rd	Prospect Heights	60070	Cook County	Prospect Heights School District 23	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 870-3868	338	22	15.7	38.8%	216 (63.9%)	4 (1.2%)	60 (17.8%)	46 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)								(n/a)		61.3			61.3	72.3			72.3	98.1	97.8	97.8	97.8	97.8	96.6	98.5		$19,154	$521	$18,633

Frequently Asked Questions about Walt Whitman Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Walt Whitman Elementary School?

Students at Walt Whitman Elementary School are 76% Hispanic, 13% White, 4% African American, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Walt Whitman Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 378 students attended Walt Whitman Elementary School.

What district is Walt Whitman Elementary School in?

Wheeling CCSD 21

Is Walt Whitman Elementary School a good school?

Walt Whitman Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.7% of Illinois elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Walt Whitman Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Walt Whitman Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Oliver W Holmes Middle School
High : Wheeling High School

Rate Walt Whitman Elementary 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.