Is Matthews Middle School a good school?

Matthews Middle School ranks 613 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Matthews Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 510 students attended Matthews Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Matthews Middle School?

Students at Matthews Middle School are 54% White, 36% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What high school do graduates of Matthews Middle School attend?

Students who attend Matthews Middle School usually go on to attend Wauconda High School

Matthews Middle School

Summary:

Matthews Middle School is a public middle school located in Island Lake, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 510 students. It is part of the Wauconda CUSD 118 district, which is ranked 297 out of 813 school districts in Illinois and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Matthews Middle School faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, which have risen from 7.3% in 2019-2020 to 27.3% in 2023-2024, notably higher than the district average of 18.7% at Wauconda Middle School and the state average of 19.1% at Fremont Junior High/Middle School. Academically, Matthews Middle School's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are below the district and state averages, while its science proficiency rates outperform the district and state. The school also faces equity concerns, with female students, Hispanic students, and English Language Learners performing lower than their peers.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Fremont Junior High/Middle School and Lake Zurich Middle - N Campus, Matthews Middle School generally underperforms in academic metrics, particularly in mathematics and English Language Arts. The school's declining statewide ranking, from 294 out of 1,322 Illinois middle schools in 2013-2014 to 613 out of 1,363 in 2023-2024, suggests the need for a comprehensive review of the school's strategies, resource allocation, and targeted interventions to improve student outcomes.

Detail:

Public 6-8

3500 Darrell Rd.
Island Lake, IL 60042

(847) 526-6210

District: Wauconda CUSD 118

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,504

Students who attend Matthews Middle School usually attend:

High:

Wauconda High School

Feeder schools for Matthews Middle School:

Elementary:

Cotton Creek School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.2

Number of students: 510

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.5%

Hispanic:

36.3%

Asian:

3.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 42%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Matthews Middle School ranks better than 55% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 47.94. (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

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Matthews Middle School is $19,504.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Matthews Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Matthews Middle School 613^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Matthews Middle School 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:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Wauconda CUSD 118:

SchoolDigger ranks Wauconda CUSD 118 297^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Matthews Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2009	75.89	291^st	1318	77.9%
2010	77.49	260^th	1327	80.4%
2011	73.02	353^rd	1344	73.7%
2012	77.86	253^rd	1365	81.5%
2013	74.87	309^th	1367	77.4%
2014	75.10	294^th	1322	77.8%
2015	66.91	336^th	1302	74.2%
2016	68.01	341^st	1294	73.6%
2017	73.73	282^nd	1293	78.2%
2018	69.60	336^th	1293	74.0%
2019	69.80	353^rd	1356	74.0%
2021	45.45	579^th	1241	53.3%
2022	50.89	581^st	1369	57.6%
2023	48.74	613^th	1367	55.2%
2024	47.94	613^th	1363	55.0%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2021	40.12	163^rd	277	41.2%
2022	44.76	199^th	454	56.2%
2023	30.45	391^st	480	18.5%
2024	38.65	283^rd	486	41.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	65.46	115^th	602	80.9%
2019	54.99	211^th	792	73.4%
2021	33.18	359^th	548	34.5%
2022	33.12	526^th	781	32.7%
2023	41.60	379^th	805	52.9%
2024	41.35	389^th	802	51.5%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	77.37	159^th	1161	86.3%
2019	75.26	188^th	1217	84.6%
2021	44.58	510^th	1019	50.0%
2022	50.32	511^th	1221	58.1%
2023	54.13	469^th	1234	62.0%
2024	55.53	440^th	1219	63.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	69.59	323^rd	1226	73.7%
2019	68.63	344^th	1276	73.0%
2021	40.25	555^th	1017	45.4%
2022	50.78	534^th	1286	58.5%
2023	44.42	649^th	1275	49.1%
2024	40.15	697^th	1251	44.3%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	32.49	446^th	674	33.8%
2024	36.05	372^nd	639	41.8%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	57.67	3^rd	8	62.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	67.73	323^rd	1223	73.6%
2019	69.11	328^th	1296	74.7%
2021	45.26	494^th	1048	52.9%
2022	50.43	545^th	1286	57.6%
2023	52.08	532^nd	1292	58.8%
2024	54.81	480^th	1264	62.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	57.48	206^th	590	65.1%
2019	58.85	212^th	639	66.8%
2021	34.09	354^th	517	31.5%
2022	38.81	390^th	662	41.1%
2023	33.43	442^nd	661	33.1%
2024	34.39	418^th	643	35.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Matthews Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	57.36	353^rd	889	60.3%
2019	56.45	367^th	905	59.4%
2021	35.93	502^nd	813	38.3%
2022	42.97	492^nd	898	45.2%
2023	42.84	494^th	895	44.8%
2024	37.45	550^th	875	37.1%

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 Matthews Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2008	487	0	12	77	2	n/a	n/a	11	589
2009	464	2	12	73	2	n/a	n/a	7	560
2010	436	3	9	72	1	n/a	n/a	9	530
2011	420	5	10	93	3	0	7	0	538
2012	406	3	12	95	4	0	9	0	529
2013	376	3	12	105	3	0	6	0	505
2014	349	4	14	99	2	0	13	0	481
2015	329	6	18	101	2	0	8	0	464
2016	340	10	13	112	2	0	9	0	486
2017	335	7	14	106	2	0	12	0	476
2018	330	8	11	111	0	0	16	0	476
2019	306	6	10	102	1	0	12	0	437
2020	342	11	16	148	1	0	18	0	536
2021	326	12	15	172	1	0	15	0	541
2022	313	10	14	177	0	0	22	0	536
2023	273	13	19	185	1	0	19	0	510

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 Matthews Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	589	26.0	22.7	15.9
2009	560	37.0	15.1	19.7
2010	530	38.2	13.8	21.1
2011	538	37.8	14.2	24.3
2012	529	35.7	14.7	29.9
2013	505	35.7	14.1	27.1
2014	481	33.6	14.2	27.2
2015	464	34.0	13.6	34.3
2016	486	33.0	14.7	24.1
2017	476	31.9	14.9	22.3
2018	476	33.5	14.1	32.4
2019	437	31.9	13.6	39.1
2020	536	37.3	14.3	35.6
2021	541	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	536	43.4	12.3	32.1
2023	510	41.8	12.2	42

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 Matthews Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	589	26.0	22.7	15.9
2009	560	37.0	15.1	19.7
2010	530	38.2	13.8	21.1
2011	538	37.8	14.2	24.3
2012	529	35.7	14.7	29.9
2013	505	35.7	14.1	27.1
2014	481	33.6	14.2	27.2
2015	464	34.0	13.6	34.3
2016	486	33.0	14.7	24.1
2017	476	31.9	14.9	22.3
2018	476	33.5	14.1	32.4
2019	437	31.9	13.6	39.1
2020	536	37.3	14.3	35.6
2021	541	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	536	43.4	12.3	32.1
2023	510	41.8	12.2	42

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