Summary:
The 60085 zip code in Waukegan, Illinois is home to 4 middle schools serving grades 6-8: John R. Lewis Middle School, Miguel Juarez Middle School, Robert E. Abbott Middle School, and Edith M. Smith Middle School. While none of the schools stand out as clear performers, John R. Lewis Middle School appears to be the strongest of the group, with higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the other schools.
However, all 4 schools in the 60085 zip code perform significantly below state averages on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism rates. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the state average for ELA proficiency was 53.1%, while the highest performing school in the set, John R. Lewis Middle School, had only 34.5% proficiency. The math proficiency rates are even lower, with the highest being 21.2% at John R. Lewis compared to the state average of 38.5%. Additionally, all 4 schools have high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.4% to 25.4% in the 2024-2025 school year, significantly higher than the state average.
The data also reveals that these schools serve predominantly low-income student populations, with very high percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 73.56% to 77.56% in 2023-2024. Despite the relatively high per-student spending at these schools, ranging from $22,853 to $24,012 in 2023-2024, the academic outcomes have not improved over the 3-year period examined. This suggests that the Waukegan CUSD 60 district and these schools face systemic challenges that need to be addressed to improve student achievement.
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