Is Hawthorn Middle School South a good school?

Hawthorn Middle School South ranks 309 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hawthorn Middle School South?

In the 2023-24 school year, 642 students attended Hawthorn Middle School South.

What is the racial makeup of Hawthorn Middle School South?

Students at Hawthorn Middle School South are 41% White, 26% Hispanic, 24% Asian, 4% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Hawthorn Middle School South attend?

Students who attend Hawthorn Middle School South usually go on to attend Vernon Hills High School

Hawthorn Middle School South

Summary:

Hawthorn Middle School South is a public middle school located in Vernon Hills, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 656 students. The school is part of the Hawthorn CCSD 73 district, which is ranked 186 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hawthorn Middle School South consistently performs above the state average in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 53.6%, compared to the state average of 41.2%, and its Mathematics proficiency rate was 37.9%, compared to the state average of 28.4%. However, the school's performance for different student subgroups varies, with Asian and White students tending to perform better than African American and Hispanic students. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has also increased from 2.8% in 2019-2020 to 15.9% in 2023-2024, which is a concerning trend.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Hawthorn Middle School North, Fremont Junior High/Middle School, Aptakisic Junior High School, and Daniel Wright Junior High School, Hawthorn Middle School South has consistently underperformed in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency. This suggests that there may be opportunities for the school to learn from the best practices and strategies of its higher-performing neighbors to enhance its overall performance and address the achievement gaps among different student subgroups.

Detail:

Public 6-8

600 N Aspen Dr
Vernon Hills, IL 60061-1621

(847) 990-4100

District: Hawthorn CCSD 73

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,967

Students who attend Hawthorn Middle School South usually attend:

High:

Vernon Hills High School

Feeder schools for Hawthorn Middle School South:

Elementary:

Hawthorn Elementary School South

Student/teacher ratio: 11.4

Number of students: 642

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.3%

Hispanic:

25.5%

Asian:

24.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 30.7%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Hawthorn Middle School South to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Hawthorn Middle School South ranks better than 77.3% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 72.82. (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 Student population at Hawthorn Middle School South is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (41.3%), Hispanic (25.5%), Asian (24.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 30.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Hawthorn Middle School South is 11.4. (See more...)

Compare Hawthorn Middle School South employs 56.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Hawthorn Middle School South is $16,967.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Hawthorn Middle School South:

SchoolDigger ranks Hawthorn Middle School South 309^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Hawthorn Middle School South in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Hawthorn CCSD 73:

SchoolDigger ranks Hawthorn CCSD 73 186^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Hawthorn Middle School South

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Rank History for all students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	85.97	119^th	1185	90.0%
2004	87.14	104^th	1204	91.4%
2005	84.80	135^th	1209	88.8%
2006	83.55	129^th	1272	89.9%
2007	84.24	102^nd	1287	92.1%
2008	79.96	204^th	1293	84.2%
2009	80.82	184^th	1318	86.0%
2010	77.57	258^th	1327	80.6%
2011	79.25	214^th	1344	84.1%
2012	78.87	229^th	1365	83.2%
2013	83.30	185^th	1367	86.5%
2014	85.49	143^rd	1322	89.2%
2015	93.81	64^th	1302	95.1%
2016	92.64	68^th	1294	94.7%
2017	87.06	138^th	1293	89.3%
2018	87.00	137^th	1293	89.4%
2019	81.30	213^th	1356	84.3%
2021	86.13	130^th	1241	89.5%
2022	84.63	158^th	1369	88.5%
2023	78.16	238^th	1367	82.6%
2024	72.82	309^th	1363	77.3%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	75.97	40^th	195	79.5%
2023	85.71	21^st	194	89.2%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	62.74	40^th	285	86.0%
2019	64.59	46^th	339	86.4%
2021	57.52	50^th	277	81.9%
2022	46.60	178^th	454	60.8%
2023	54.96	124^th	480	74.2%
2024	48.11	179^th	486	63.2%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	78.68	65^th	602	89.2%
2019	76.47	91^st	792	88.5%
2021	49.67	179^th	548	67.3%
2022	44.61	316^th	781	59.5%
2023	70.36	154^th	805	80.9%
2024	61.18	216^th	802	73.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	56.59	413^th	1161	64.4%
2019	52.43	515^th	1217	57.7%
2021	55.85	331^st	1019	67.5%
2022	55.62	427^th	1221	65.0%
2023	45.49	614^th	1234	50.2%
2024	44.57	618^th	1219	49.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	84.41	154^th	1226	87.4%
2019	77.50	243^rd	1276	81.0%
2021	80.94	139^th	1017	86.3%
2022	84.40	148^th	1286	88.5%
2023	82.37	175^th	1275	86.3%
2024	75.96	252^nd	1251	79.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	56.24	194^th	674	71.2%
2024	49.16	235^th	639	63.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	87.35	113^th	1223	90.8%
2019	83.32	175^th	1296	86.5%
2021	86.45	93^rd	1048	91.1%
2022	82.00	169^th	1286	86.9%
2023	71.32	285^th	1292	77.9%
2024	66.65	337^th	1264	73.3%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	83.55	21^st	209	90.0%
2019	75.54	35^th	201	82.6%
2021	73.81	25^th	112	77.7%
2022	76.69	38^th	198	80.8%
2023	70.98	49^th	192	74.5%
2024	65.09	65^th	184	64.7%

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

Rank History for African American students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	68.39	103^rd	573	82.0%
2024	41.60	287^th	548	47.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	41.60	330^th	590	44.1%
2019	32.99	442^nd	639	30.8%
2021	44.34	253^rd	517	51.1%
2022	34.90	421^st	662	36.4%
2023	36.94	401^st	661	39.3%
2024	26.20	507^th	643	21.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Hawthorn Middle School South

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	79.69	126^th	889	85.8%
2019	71.38	217^th	905	76.0%
2021	79.43	113^th	813	86.1%
2022	78.95	127^th	898	85.9%
2023	65.37	259^th	895	71.1%
2024	64.68	267^th	875	69.5%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, January 24, 2014

Majority of teaching staff is excellent but there are a handful of teachers who are belligerent and wholly unfit. Apathetic administration is the biggest problem; they can't be bothered with problems and spend very little time (if any) visiting classrooms to see what is actually transpiring there. Overall, the school is disappointing. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Hawthorn Middle School South

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	680	20	53	30	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	783
1989	492	13	36	27	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	568
1990	505	11	35	52	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	603
1991	493	21	49	62	2	n/a	n/a	0	627
1992	521	18	50	63	0	n/a	n/a	0	652
1993	534	13	60	71	0	n/a	n/a	0	678
1994	581	16	67	78	0	n/a	n/a	0	742
1995	596	24	75	95	2	n/a	n/a	0	792
1996	596	24	75	95	2	n/a	n/a	0	792
1997	586	23	55	84	1	n/a	n/a	0	749
1998	618	25	77	108	0	n/a	n/a	0	828
1999	550	9	68	113	0	n/a	n/a	0	740
2000	520	12	61	126	0	n/a	n/a	0	719
2001	501	25	64	110	2	n/a	n/a	0	702
2002	570	18	98	108	2	n/a	n/a	0	796
2003	570	18	98	108	2	n/a	n/a	0	796
2004	564	22	113	126	2	n/a	n/a	0	827
2005	523	17	121	128	1	n/a	n/a	1	791
2006	364	10	90	98	0	n/a	n/a	2	564
2007	404	10	110	92	0	n/a	n/a	5	621
2008	396	12	117	87	0	n/a	n/a	12	624
2009	379	21	98	105	1	n/a	n/a	14	618
2010	355	18	92	107	1	n/a	n/a	15	588
2011	339	18	100	101	0	2	8	0	568
2012	318	18	102	96	0	3	13	0	550
2013	349	24	136	110	2	3	14	0	638
2014	363	16	146	128	2	3	15	0	673
2015	373	14	159	133	1	2	20	0	702
2016	374	12	153	146	2	1	24	0	712
2017	380	11	146	163	3	0	22	0	725
2018	395	17	140	174	3	0	27	0	756
2019	361	16	131	187	1	0	28	0	724
2020	321	18	149	202	0	0	34	0	724
2021	276	27	143	202	1	1	34	0	684
2022	279	21	142	191	1	2	31	0	667
2023	279	22	149	178	1	2	25	0	656
2024	265	28	156	164	2	1	26	0	642

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 Hawthorn Middle School South

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	783	57.5	13.6	n/a
1989	568	41.3	13.7	n/a
1990	603	41.4	14.5	n/a
1991	627	43.7	14.3	n/a
1992	652	44.6	14.6	n/a
1993	678	48.3	14.0	n/a
1994	742	46.2	16.1	n/a
1995	792	43.3	18.3	n/a
1996	792	43.3	18.3	n/a
1997	749	47.0	15.9	n/a
1998	828	54.0	15.3	n/a
1999	740	54.0	13.7	n/a
2000	719	53.0	13.6	n/a
2001	702	52.5	13.4	n/a
2002	796	57.5	13.8	13.3
2003	796	57.5	13.8	13.3
2004	827	56.7	14.6	13.5
2005	791	56.5	14.0	16.2
2006	564	41.5	13.6	14.1
2007	621	44.0	14.1	14.8
2008	624	41.0	15.2	14.1
2009	618	42.6	14.5	17.9
2010	588	43.3	13.5	20.6
2011	568	45.2	12.5	20.4
2012	550	42.0	13.0	20.5
2013	638	56.1	11.3	21.6
2014	673	49.6	13.5	19.3
2015	702	56.0	12.5	21.9
2016	712	55.0	12.9	20.1
2017	725	56.5	12.8	23.9
2018	756	56.7	13.3	26.2
2019	724	59.0	12.2	26
2020	724	59.5	12.1	26.7
2021	684	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	667	59.0	11.3	22.5
2023	656	57.1	11.4	25.8
2024	642	56.2	11.4	30.7

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 Hawthorn Middle School South

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	783	57.5	13.6	n/a
1989	568	41.3	13.7	n/a
1990	603	41.4	14.5	n/a
1991	627	43.7	14.3	n/a
1992	652	44.6	14.6	n/a
1993	678	48.3	14.0	n/a
1994	742	46.2	16.1	n/a
1995	792	43.3	18.3	n/a
1996	792	43.3	18.3	n/a
1997	749	47.0	15.9	n/a
1998	828	54.0	15.3	n/a
1999	740	54.0	13.7	n/a
2000	719	53.0	13.6	n/a
2001	702	52.5	13.4	n/a
2002	796	57.5	13.8	13.3
2003	796	57.5	13.8	13.3
2004	827	56.7	14.6	13.5
2005	791	56.5	14.0	16.2
2006	564	41.5	13.6	14.1
2007	621	44.0	14.1	14.8
2008	624	41.0	15.2	14.1
2009	618	42.6	14.5	17.9
2010	588	43.3	13.5	20.6
2011	568	45.2	12.5	20.4
2012	550	42.0	13.0	20.5
2013	638	56.1	11.3	21.6
2014	673	49.6	13.5	19.3
2015	702	56.0	12.5	21.9
2016	712	55.0	12.9	20.1
2017	725	56.5	12.8	23.9
2018	756	56.7	13.3	26.2
2019	724	59.0	12.2	26
2020	724	59.5	12.1	26.7
2021	684	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	667	59.0	11.3	22.5
2023	656	57.1	11.4	25.8
2024	642	56.2	11.4	30.7

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.

Immunization Rates