Is John R Lewis Middle School a good school?

John R Lewis Middle School ranks 952 nd of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend John R Lewis Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 762 students attended John R Lewis Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of John R Lewis Middle School?

Students at John R Lewis Middle School are 79% Hispanic, 16% African American, 3% White, 1% American Indian.

What high school do graduates of John R Lewis Middle School attend?

Students who attend John R Lewis Middle School usually go on to attend Waukegan High School

John R Lewis Middle School

Summary:

John R Lewis Middle School is a public middle school located in Waukegan, Illinois, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 774 students. The school is part of the Waukegan CUSD 60 district, which is ranked 745 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

John R Lewis Middle School consistently performs below the state and district averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 26.8% compared to the state average of 41.2% and the district average of 17%. Similarly, the school's Mathematics proficiency rate was 12.8% compared to the state average of 28.4% and the district average of 10.8%. The school's performance in Science is also below the state average, with a proficiency rate of 25.3% in the 2023-2024 school year compared to the state average of 53.2%. Additionally, the school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 34.5% in 2021-2022 to 45.8% in 2020-2021, which are significantly higher than the state and district averages.

In contrast, nearby schools outside the Waukegan CUSD 60 district, such as Deer Path Middle School East and Deer Path Middle School West in Lake Forest, and Lake Bluff Middle School, have significantly higher academic performance and lower chronic absenteeism rates. This stark contrast in performance highlights the need for a comprehensive review of the Waukegan CUSD 60 district's policies, practices, and resource allocation to support student success.

Detail:

Public 6-8

600 S Lewis Ave
Waukegan, IL 60085-6102

(224) 303-2560

District: Waukegan CUSD 60

SchoolDigger Rank:
952^nd of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $24,012

Students who attend John R Lewis Middle School usually attend:

High:

Waukegan High School

Feeder schools for John R Lewis Middle School:

Elementary:	Carman-Buckner Elementary School
	Clearview Elementary School
	Lyon Magnet Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 17.7

Number of students: 762

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.9%

African American:

15.9%

White:

2.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 77.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare John R Lewis Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John R Lewis Middle School ranks worse than 69.8% of middle schools in Illinois. It also ranks first among 5 ranked middle schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 27.47. (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 John R Lewis Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (78.9%), African American (15.9%), White (2.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 77.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John R Lewis Middle School is 17.7. 2 middle schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare John R Lewis Middle School employs 43 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John R Lewis Middle School is $24,012, which is the highest among 5 middle schools in the Waukegan CUSD 60 School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John R Lewis Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks John R Lewis Middle School 952^nd of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See John R Lewis 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:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Waukegan CUSD 60:

SchoolDigger ranks Waukegan CUSD 60 745^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for John R Lewis Middle School

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Rank History for all students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	42.13	752^nd	1185	36.5%
2004	18.42	975^th	1204	19.0%
2005	29.55	897^th	1209	25.8%
2006	36.97	904^th	1272	28.9%
2007	29.15	994^th	1287	22.8%
2008	16.27	1112^th	1293	14.0%
2009	23.84	1065^th	1318	19.2%
2010	13.91	1177^th	1327	11.3%
2011	14.75	1198^th	1344	10.9%
2012	11.06	1263^rd	1365	7.5%
2013	16.16	1200^th	1367	12.2%
2014	18.70	1127^th	1322	14.8%
2015	33.40	840^th	1302	35.5%
2016	29.37	909^th	1294	29.8%
2017	24.56	990^th	1293	23.4%
2018	25.63	963^rd	1293	25.5%
2019	31.07	928^th	1356	31.6%
2021	37.70	681^st	1241	45.1%
2022	32.41	867^th	1369	36.7%
2023	26.80	969^th	1367	29.1%
2024	27.47	952^nd	1363	30.2%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.82	206^th	285	27.7%
2019	31.20	288^th	339	15.0%
2021	55.21	60^th	277	78.3%
2022	31.72	369^th	454	18.7%
2023	24.62	452^nd	480	5.8%
2024	24.11	454^th	486	6.6%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	26.66	473^rd	602	21.4%
2019	24.69	700^th	792	11.6%
2021	25.19	541^st	548	1.3%
2022	31.29	566^th	781	27.5%
2023	27.85	587^th	805	27.1%
2024	23.03	684^th	802	14.7%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	27.26	897^th	1161	22.7%
2019	31.93	869^th	1217	28.6%
2021	47.17	461^st	1019	54.8%
2022	41.04	656^th	1221	46.3%
2023	31.52	869^th	1234	29.6%
2024	32.76	825^th	1219	32.3%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	53.27	13^th	36	63.9%
2023	35.21	33^rd	53	37.7%
2024	23.96	66^th	70	5.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	23.82	950^th	1226	22.5%
2019	26.02	968^th	1276	24.1%
2021	29.70	701^st	1017	31.1%
2022	29.37	872^nd	1286	32.2%
2023	25.60	930^th	1275	27.1%
2024	28.05	878^th	1251	29.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	30.79	472^nd	674	30.0%
2024	30.50	462^nd	639	27.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	28.05	868^th	1223	29.0%
2019	37.35	767^th	1296	40.8%
2021	40.26	555^th	1048	47.0%
2022	36.18	758^th	1286	41.1%
2023	28.62	892^nd	1292	31.0%
2024	27.08	887^th	1264	29.8%

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

Rank History for African American students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.07	370^th	511	27.6%
2019	38.03	334^th	565	40.9%
2021	41.35	194^th	385	49.6%
2022	41.19	280^th	573	51.1%
2023	43.39	283^rd	569	50.3%
2024	36.93	333^rd	548	39.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at John R Lewis Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.52	420^th	590	28.8%
2019	40.37	362^nd	639	43.3%
2021	51.79	198^th	517	61.7%
2022	40.91	365^th	662	44.9%
2023	31.83	459^th	661	30.6%
2024	33.03	427^th	643	33.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Hispanic 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 John R Lewis Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	146	171	15	125	1	n/a	n/a	0	458
1989	202	159	19	135	1	n/a	n/a	0	516
1990	197	197	22	136	1	n/a	n/a	0	553
1991	182	199	26	168	0	n/a	n/a	0	575
1992	180	229	23	171	3	n/a	n/a	0	606
1993	255	233	54	127	3	n/a	n/a	0	672
1994	223	186	48	125	4	n/a	n/a	0	586
1995	211	231	33	251	3	n/a	n/a	0	729
1996	211	231	33	251	3	n/a	n/a	0	729
1997	174	187	32	274	3	n/a	n/a	0	670
1998	162	151	21	288	0	n/a	n/a	0	622
1999	156	162	21	285	0	n/a	n/a	0	624
2000	164	155	20	250	1	n/a	n/a	0	590
2001	158	176	19	327	0	n/a	n/a	0	680
2002	95	189	21	499	0	n/a	n/a	0	804
2003	95	189	21	499	0	n/a	n/a	0	804
2004	74	172	27	550	1	n/a	n/a	0	824
2005	67	171	20	527	1	n/a	n/a	1	787
2006	62	153	22	523	2	n/a	n/a	2	764
2007	58	170	21	606	1	n/a	n/a	4	860
2008	42	169	18	613	1	n/a	n/a	7	850
2009	35	180	20	566	0	n/a	n/a	20	821
2010	40	192	18	592	0	n/a	n/a	19	861
2011	43	213	4	601	8	11	19	0	899
2012	40	203	12	617	6	7	19	0	904
2013	36	209	13	632	6	2	14	0	912
2014	34	185	14	662	4	3	14	0	916
2015	26	179	12	668	9	2	16	0	912
2016	24	161	9	613	8	1	16	0	832
2017	19	164	5	610	7	0	20	0	825
2018	22	191	7	664	3	0	19	0	906
2019	23	188	9	663	4	2	10	0	899
2020	22	174	10	638	9	1	11	0	865
2021	21	142	6	588	8	1	16	0	782
2022	17	131	5	602	11	0	15	0	781
2023	17	121	5	609	8	0	14	0	774
2024	21	121	6	601	8	0	5	0	762

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 John R Lewis Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	458	29.4	15.5	n/a
1989	516	31.0	16.6	n/a
1990	553	31.0	17.8	n/a
1991	575	30.6	18.7	n/a
1992	606	36.0	16.8	n/a
1993	672	38.0	17.7	n/a
1994	586	42.0	14.0	n/a
1995	729	42.0	17.4	n/a
1996	729	42.0	17.4	n/a
1997	670	42.0	16.0	n/a
1998	622	38.0	16.4	n/a
1999	624	40.0	15.6	n/a
2000	590	43.0	13.7	n/a
2001	680	47.0	14.5	n/a
2002	804	52.0	15.5	53.5
2003	804	52.0	15.5	53.5
2004	824	50.1	16.4	61.3
2005	787	55.0	14.3	49.4
2006	764	57.0	13.4	57.2
2007	860	47.0	18.3	61
2008	850	42.0	20.2	69.4
2009	821	58.0	14.2	64.2
2010	861	61.0	14.1	70.8
2011	899	59.0	15.2	70.6
2012	904	63.0	14.3	59.4
2013	912	69.7	13.0	n/a
2014	916	59.5	15.3	68.4
2015	912	73.0	12.4	73.1
2016	832	57.0	14.5	60.2
2017	825	60.5	13.6	71.4
2018	906	58.5	15.4	74.7
2019	899	48.0	18.7	67.3
2020	865	63.0	13.7	66.5
2021	782	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	781	50.0	15.6	73.1
2023	774	63.0	12.2	71.8
2024	762	43.0	17.7	77.6

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 John R Lewis Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	458	29.4	15.5	n/a
1989	516	31.0	16.6	n/a
1990	553	31.0	17.8	n/a
1991	575	30.6	18.7	n/a
1992	606	36.0	16.8	n/a
1993	672	38.0	17.7	n/a
1994	586	42.0	14.0	n/a
1995	729	42.0	17.4	n/a
1996	729	42.0	17.4	n/a
1997	670	42.0	16.0	n/a
1998	622	38.0	16.4	n/a
1999	624	40.0	15.6	n/a
2000	590	43.0	13.7	n/a
2001	680	47.0	14.5	n/a
2002	804	52.0	15.5	53.5
2003	804	52.0	15.5	53.5
2004	824	50.1	16.4	61.3
2005	787	55.0	14.3	49.4
2006	764	57.0	13.4	57.2
2007	860	47.0	18.3	61
2008	850	42.0	20.2	69.4
2009	821	58.0	14.2	64.2
2010	861	61.0	14.1	70.8
2011	899	59.0	15.2	70.6
2012	904	63.0	14.3	59.4
2013	912	69.7	13.0	n/a
2014	916	59.5	15.3	68.4
2015	912	73.0	12.4	73.1
2016	832	57.0	14.5	60.2
2017	825	60.5	13.6	71.4
2018	906	58.5	15.4	74.7
2019	899	48.0	18.7	67.3
2020	865	63.0	13.7	66.5
2021	782	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	781	50.0	15.6	73.1
2023	774	63.0	12.2	71.8
2024	762	43.0	17.7	77.6

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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