Is Nichols Middle School a good school?

Nichols Middle School ranks 210 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Nichols Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 650 students attended Nichols Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Nichols Middle School?

Students at Nichols Middle School are 46% White, 21% Hispanic, 20% African American, 9% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Nichols Middle School attend?

Students who attend Nichols Middle School usually go on to attend Evanston Township High School

Nichols Middle School

Summary:

Nichols Middle School is a public middle school located in Evanston, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 650 students. The school is part of the Evanston CCSD 65 district, which is ranked 217 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nichols Middle School consistently performs above the state and district averages in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. In the 2023-2024 school year, 58.6% of Nichols students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 53.5% for the Evanston CCSD 65 district and 41.2% for the state of Illinois. In Mathematics, 46.9% of Nichols students were proficient or better, compared to 42.8% for the district and 28.4% for the state. The school also outperforms the district and state in Science, with 72.1% of students proficient or better on the ISA Science assessment. However, Nichols struggles more with its English Language Learner and Low Socioeconomic Status student populations, ranking in the bottom 50% of Illinois middle schools for these subgroups.

Nichols Middle School generally outperforms the nearby Haven Middle School and Chute Middle School in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency, as well as in Science. However, the nearby Highcrest Middle School (part of the Wilmette School District 39) significantly outperforms Nichols in both ELA and Mathematics, ranking in the top 5% of Illinois middle schools. Additionally, Nichols Middle School has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.2% in 2019-2020 to 22.2% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the district average of 19.7% for the 2022-2023 school year.

Detail:

Public 6-8

800 Greenleaf St
Evanston, IL 60202-1334

(847) 859-8661

District: Evanston CCSD 65

SchoolDigger Rank:
210^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $26,331

Students who attend Nichols Middle School usually attend:

High:

Evanston Township High School

Feeder schools for Nichols Middle School:

Elementary:	Dewey Elementary School
	Lincoln Elementary School
	Washington Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 9.9

Number of students: 650

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.3%

Hispanic:

20.6%

African American:

20.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 34.8%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Nichols Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Nichols Middle School ranks better than 84.6% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks first among 3 ranked middle schools in the Evanston CCSD 65 School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 82.11. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 Nichols Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Evanston CCSD 65 School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Nichols Middle School is $26,331. 1 middle schools in the Evanston CCSD 65 School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Nichols Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Nichols Middle School 210^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Nichols Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Evanston CCSD 65:

SchoolDigger ranks Evanston CCSD 65 217^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Nichols Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	60.06	524^th	1185	55.8%
2004	62.98	502^nd	1204	58.3%
2005	53.56	671^st	1209	44.5%
2006	69.03	412^th	1272	67.6%
2007	69.95	393^rd	1287	69.5%
2008	71.00	394^th	1293	69.5%
2009	75.35	302^nd	1318	77.1%
2010	77.25	264^th	1327	80.1%
2011	72.35	371^st	1344	72.4%
2012	67.64	464^th	1365	66.0%
2013	81.76	207^th	1367	84.9%
2014	81.34	207^th	1322	84.3%
2015	82.21	192^nd	1302	85.3%
2016	74.93	268^th	1294	79.3%
2017	74.91	270^th	1293	79.1%
2018	68.87	344^th	1293	73.4%
2019	70.77	336^th	1356	75.2%
2021	73.09	264^th	1241	78.7%
2022	87.74	127^th	1369	90.7%
2023	80.88	214^th	1367	84.3%
2024	82.11	210^th	1363	84.6%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	60.62	61^st	164	62.8%
2019	61.68	70^th	179	60.9%
2022	91.18	10^th	195	94.9%
2023	79.99	36^th	194	81.4%
2024	78.62	37^th	184	79.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	49.54	92^nd	285	67.7%
2019	40.88	198^th	339	41.6%
2022	78.21	23^rd	454	94.9%
2023	60.91	89^th	480	81.5%
2024	42.80	230^th	486	52.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	64.27	121^st	602	79.9%
2019	56.51	198^th	792	75.0%
2021	53.22	156^th	548	71.5%
2022	51.95	218^th	781	72.1%
2023	77.12	118^th	805	85.3%
2024	82.37	99^th	802	87.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.87	635^th	1161	45.3%
2019	42.83	672^nd	1217	44.8%
2021	34.93	660^th	1019	35.2%
2022	56.29	416^th	1221	65.9%
2023	52.12	502^nd	1234	59.3%
2024	44.53	619^th	1219	49.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	65.26	369^th	1226	69.9%
2019	68.41	345^th	1276	73.0%
2021	77.76	182^nd	1017	82.1%
2022	90.70	94^th	1286	92.7%
2023	81.98	184^th	1275	85.6%
2024	84.28	152^nd	1251	87.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	44.25	298^th	674	55.8%
2024	59.14	169^th	639	73.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	69.85	299^th	1223	75.6%
2019	71.14	303^rd	1296	76.6%
2021	64.57	280^th	1048	73.3%
2022	82.55	155^th	1286	87.9%
2023	77.24	228^th	1292	82.4%
2024	77.64	229^th	1264	81.9%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	50.83	102^nd	209	51.2%
2019	41.02	127^th	201	36.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	47.65	214^th	511	58.1%
2019	43.98	277^th	565	51.0%
2021	49.70	138^th	385	64.2%
2022	77.04	64^th	573	88.8%
2023	67.24	112^th	569	80.3%
2024	56.73	171^st	548	68.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	42.36	325^th	590	44.9%
2019	41.39	355^th	639	44.4%
2021	24.80	429^th	517	17.0%
2022	61.97	177^th	662	73.3%
2023	56.47	223^rd	661	66.3%
2024	64.60	176^th	643	72.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Nichols Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	77.36	157^th	889	82.3%
2019	75.44	167^th	905	81.5%
2021	89.67	51^st	813	93.7%
2022	91.44	39^th	898	95.7%
2023	90.09	52^nd	895	94.2%
2024	89.59	58^th	875	93.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle 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 Nichols Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	272	202	8	35	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	517
1989	270	214	9	41	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	534
1990	240	194	10	55	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	499
1991	244	210	7	69	0	n/a	n/a	0	530
1992	260	182	7	75	0	n/a	n/a	0	524
1993	254	185	12	75	1	n/a	n/a	0	527
1994	246	190	13	76	0	n/a	n/a	0	525
1995	256	215	10	94	1	n/a	n/a	0	576
1996	256	215	10	94	1	n/a	n/a	0	576
1997	278	201	15	90	1	n/a	n/a	0	585
1998	284	237	18	87	1	n/a	n/a	0	627
1999	268	248	16	76	1	n/a	n/a	0	609
2000	252	230	16	77	1	n/a	n/a	0	576
2001	252	226	11	80	0	n/a	n/a	0	569
2002	258	209	12	94	1	n/a	n/a	0	574
2003	258	209	12	94	1	n/a	n/a	0	574
2004	252	220	14	102	0	n/a	n/a	0	588
2005	229	212	22	121	0	n/a	n/a	1	585
2006	241	205	22	116	0	n/a	n/a	1	585
2007	234	181	20	107	1	n/a	n/a	1	544
2008	224	140	19	94	1	n/a	n/a	15	493
2009	225	138	26	79	1	n/a	n/a	16	485
2010	222	143	23	84	1	n/a	n/a	28	501
2011	239	140	21	106	1	0	31	0	538
2012	224	154	20	106	2	0	40	0	546
2013	245	129	19	104	3	0	41	0	541
2014	276	122	19	97	1	0	52	0	567
2015	297	125	15	115	2	0	56	0	610
2016	333	137	16	122	3	0	69	0	680
2017	362	124	21	135	4	0	71	0	717
2018	364	126	27	137	2	1	68	0	725
2019	394	142	32	136	3	1	72	0	780
2020	398	128	28	130	3	1	66	0	754
2021	371	136	28	127	2	0	71	0	735
2022	351	123	24	125	1	0	63	0	687
2023	301	133	19	134	0	1	60	2	650

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 Nichols Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	517	38.0	13.6	n/a
1989	534	43.5	12.2	n/a
1990	499	43.1	11.5	n/a
1991	530	44.6	11.8	n/a
1992	524	43.7	11.9	n/a
1993	527	44.8	11.8	n/a
1994	525	43.0	12.2	n/a
1995	576	48.2	12.0	n/a
1996	576	48.2	12.0	n/a
1997	585	50.2	11.7	n/a
1998	627	52.2	12.0	n/a
1999	609	52.2	11.7	n/a
2000	576	53.7	10.7	n/a
2001	569	50.7	11.2	n/a
2002	574	47.7	12.0	24.4
2003	574	47.7	12.0	24.4
2004	588	49.8	11.8	35.9
2005	585	43.8	13.4	44.2
2006	585	48.4	12.1	40.1
2007	544	45.0	12.1	42.9
2008	493	42.0	11.7	42.5
2009	485	49.1	9.9	38.4
2010	501	49.6	10.1	42.1
2011	538	47.4	11.3	43.3
2012	546	47.4	11.5	45.4
2013	541	41.9	12.8	40.7
2014	567	46.9	12.0	36.9
2015	610	49.0	12.4	37.4
2016	680	54.0	12.5	35.3
2017	717	55.4	12.9	35.3
2018	725	58.1	12.4	32.4
2019	780	59.9	13.0	29.9
2020	754	63.6	11.8	29
2021	735	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	687	65.0	10.5	27.8
2023	650	65.5	9.9	34.8

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 Nichols Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	517	38.0	13.6	n/a
1989	534	43.5	12.2	n/a
1990	499	43.1	11.5	n/a
1991	530	44.6	11.8	n/a
1992	524	43.7	11.9	n/a
1993	527	44.8	11.8	n/a
1994	525	43.0	12.2	n/a
1995	576	48.2	12.0	n/a
1996	576	48.2	12.0	n/a
1997	585	50.2	11.7	n/a
1998	627	52.2	12.0	n/a
1999	609	52.2	11.7	n/a
2000	576	53.7	10.7	n/a
2001	569	50.7	11.2	n/a
2002	574	47.7	12.0	24.4
2003	574	47.7	12.0	24.4
2004	588	49.8	11.8	35.9
2005	585	43.8	13.4	44.2
2006	585	48.4	12.1	40.1
2007	544	45.0	12.1	42.9
2008	493	42.0	11.7	42.5
2009	485	49.1	9.9	38.4
2010	501	49.6	10.1	42.1
2011	538	47.4	11.3	43.3
2012	546	47.4	11.5	45.4
2013	541	41.9	12.8	40.7
2014	567	46.9	12.0	36.9
2015	610	49.0	12.4	37.4
2016	680	54.0	12.5	35.3
2017	717	55.4	12.9	35.3
2018	725	58.1	12.4	32.4
2019	780	59.9	13.0	29.9
2020	754	63.6	11.8	29
2021	735	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	687	65.0	10.5	27.8
2023	650	65.5	9.9	34.8

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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