Is Wayne Thomas Elementary School a good school?

Yes! Wayne Thomas Elementary School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 74 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools.

How many students attend Wayne Thomas Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 381 students attended Wayne Thomas Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Wayne Thomas Elementary School?

Students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School are 76% White, 13% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Wayne Thomas Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Wayne Thomas Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Northwood Middle School High : Highland Park High School

Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Summary:

Wayne Thomas Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school serving 381 students in grades K-5 in Highland Park, Illinois, which is part of the North Shore School District 112.

Wayne Thomas Elementary School consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Illinois, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance is significantly higher than the district and state averages, with 73.1% of students proficient or better in ELA and 66% proficient or better in math, compared to 58.5% and 51.5% for the district, and 41.2% and 28.4% for the state, respectively. The school also excels in serving diverse student populations, ranking among the top Illinois elementary schools for Hispanic, special education, and low-income students.

When compared to other North Shore School District 112 elementary schools, such as Sherwood Elementary, Red Oak Elementary, and Indian Trail Elementary, Wayne Thomas Elementary School outperforms them in academic achievement. However, when compared to schools in the neighboring Lake Forest School District 67 and Deerfield School District 109, the school's performance is generally on par or slightly lower, particularly in the upper elementary grades.

Detail:

Public K-5

2939 Summit Ave
Highland Park, IL 60035-1135

(224) 765-3900

District: North Shore School District 112

SchoolDigger Rank:
74^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $22,843

Students who attend Wayne Thomas Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Northwood Middle School
High:	Highland Park High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.2

Number of students: 381

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.6%

Hispanic:

12.9%

Two or more races:

4.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 20%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Wayne Thomas Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Wayne Thomas Elementary School ranks better than 96.4% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 2^nd among 7 ranked elementary schools in the North Shore School District 112. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 95.97. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Wayne Thomas Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the North Shore School District 112. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Wayne Thomas Elementary School is $22,843. 5 elementary schools in the North Shore School District 112 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Wayne Thomas Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Wayne Thomas Elementary School 74^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Wayne Thomas Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

North Shore School District 112:

SchoolDigger ranks North Shore School District 112 114^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Wayne Thomas Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	82.60	261^st	2020	87.1%
2004	85.10	175^th	2030	91.4%
2005	82.01	247^th	2022	87.8%
2006	83.32	164^th	2086	92.1%
2007	81.58	228^th	2095	89.1%
2008	84.52	160^th	2092	92.4%
2009	82.42	249^th	2120	88.3%
2010	81.70	271^st	2139	87.3%
2011	79.32	387^th	2147	82.0%
2012	74.01	584^th	2166	73.0%
2013	78.70	437^th	2167	79.8%
2014	73.71	539^th	2093	74.2%
2015	74.14	451^st	2052	78.0%
2016	78.01	405^th	2046	80.2%
2017	65.72	638^th	2044	68.8%
2018	60.51	751^st	2037	63.1%
2019	67.16	631^st	2086	69.8%
2021	79.00	353^rd	1948	81.9%
2022	90.39	166^th	2082	92.0%
2023	94.79	90^th	2077	95.7%
2024	95.97	74^th	2067	96.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	72.11	198^th	1194	83.4%
2022	95.11	30^th	1113	97.3%
2023	95.57	30^th	1156	97.4%
2024	98.52	12^th	1195	99.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	59.37	575^th	1765	67.4%
2019	57.85	608^th	1816	66.5%
2023	97.84	20^th	1808	98.9%
2024	98.99	11^th	1793	99.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	58.21	747^th	1964	62.0%
2019	61.47	713^th	2019	64.7%
2021	70.31	421^st	1680	74.9%
2022	88.40	191^st	1970	90.3%
2023	93.62	95^th	1957	95.1%
2024	90.91	149^th	1942	92.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	98.42	10^th	886	98.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2022	57.06	5^th	11	54.5%
2023	67.34	5^th	11	54.5%
2024	60.47	6^th	13	53.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	61.24	688^th	1972	65.1%
2019	70.32	525^th	2019	74.0%
2021	81.43	232^nd	1707	86.4%
2022	89.96	152^nd	1977	92.3%
2023	93.59	92^nd	1984	95.4%
2024	96.58	46^th	1959	97.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	33.56	661^st	955	30.8%
2023	97.05	15^th	970	98.5%
2024	94.87	19^th	959	98.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	39.52	908^th	1463	37.9%
2019	63.96	477^th	1462	67.4%
2021	66.68	376^th	1308	71.3%
2022	78.40	225^th	1425	84.2%
2023	86.08	136^th	1419	90.4%
2024	92.61	47^th	1392	96.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Wayne Thomas Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1994	366	19	33	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	434
1995	410	20	26	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	466
1996	410	20	26	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	466
1997	395	19	17	9	2	n/a	n/a	0	442
1998	383	12	15	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	418
1999	369	6	13	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	393
2000	384	11	12	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	412
2001	403	14	16	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	437
2002	365	15	8	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	393
2003	365	15	8	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	393
2004	353	11	8	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	374
2005	334	10	12	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	361
2006	309	10	8	5	0	n/a	n/a	1	333
2007	312	7	7	6	0	n/a	n/a	3	335
2008	308	3	7	7	0	n/a	n/a	7	332
2009	308	15	9	11	2	n/a	n/a	16	361
2010	315	21	9	14	0	n/a	n/a	13	372
2011	288	18	10	23	1	0	10	0	350
2012	295	29	11	21	1	0	7	0	364
2013	280	24	10	26	1	0	6	0	347
2014	254	17	11	29	0	0	12	0	323
2015	255	11	9	33	0	0	11	0	319
2016	233	8	15	32	0	0	6	0	294
2017	225	7	12	26	1	0	9	0	280
2018	229	11	10	38	0	0	11	0	299
2019	238	14	12	48	0	0	12	0	324
2020	242	12	12	43	0	0	12	0	321
2021	236	12	12	50	0	0	21	0	331
2022	264	9	12	60	0	0	15	0	360
2023	288	9	15	49	1	1	18	0	381

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Wayne Thomas Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1994	434	23.9	18.2	n/a
1995	466	27.8	16.8	n/a
1996	466	27.8	16.8	n/a
1997	442	27.8	15.9	n/a
1998	418	27.8	15.0	n/a
1999	393	25.3	15.5	n/a
2000	412	26.2	15.7	n/a
2001	437	25.8	16.9	n/a
2002	393	26.4	14.9	0
2003	393	26.4	14.9	0
2004	374	24.9	15.0	0
2005	361	23.9	15.1	0
2006	333	23.9	13.9	0
2007	335	26.0	12.9	0
2008	332	21.0	15.8	0
2009	361	26.6	13.6	0
2010	372	27.4	13.5	0
2011	350	27.0	12.9	0
2012	364	28.0	13.0	7.4
2013	347	32.3	10.7	9.2
2014	323	26.0	12.4	9
2015	319	27.0	11.8	8.5
2016	294	26.0	11.3	11.9
2017	280	26.3	10.6	13.9
2018	299	27.2	10.9	14.7
2019	324	28.4	11.4	18.8
2020	321	28.3	11.3	21.2
2021	331	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	360	30.0	12.0	20
2023	381	31.2	12.2	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Wayne Thomas Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1994	434	23.9	18.2	n/a
1995	466	27.8	16.8	n/a
1996	466	27.8	16.8	n/a
1997	442	27.8	15.9	n/a
1998	418	27.8	15.0	n/a
1999	393	25.3	15.5	n/a
2000	412	26.2	15.7	n/a
2001	437	25.8	16.9	n/a
2002	393	26.4	14.9	0
2003	393	26.4	14.9	0
2004	374	24.9	15.0	0
2005	361	23.9	15.1	0
2006	333	23.9	13.9	0
2007	335	26.0	12.9	0
2008	332	21.0	15.8	0
2009	361	26.6	13.6	0
2010	372	27.4	13.5	0
2011	350	27.0	12.9	0
2012	364	28.0	13.0	7.4
2013	347	32.3	10.7	9.2
2014	323	26.0	12.4	9
2015	319	27.0	11.8	8.5
2016	294	26.0	11.3	11.9
2017	280	26.3	10.6	13.9
2018	299	27.2	10.9	14.7
2019	324	28.4	11.4	18.8
2020	321	28.3	11.3	21.2
2021	331	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	360	30.0	12.0	20
2023	381	31.2	12.2	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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