St Charles Cusd 303, IL - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on St Charles Cusd 303

St Charles CUSD 303 is a pre-K through 12 district serving a mid-sized community across multiple towns in Kane County, Illinois, with a diverse student population and sustained growth that has strained its physical infrastructure.

The district's academic standing reflects solid proficiency across elementary grades, with a clear pattern. In English language arts, third and fourth graders show proficiency rates in the high 60s to high 70s, then achievement climbs notably through fifth and sixth grade, settling in the low 80s. By middle school, proficiency rates remain in the high 70s. Math tells a different story. Proficiency starts around 73 percent in third and fourth grade but declines through the middle years, dropping to the low 60s by sixth through eighth grade. Science proficiency sits in the low 60s at fifth grade and rises to around 71 percent by eighth grade. The district's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Kane County districts, a meaningful strength. However, a parent may want to look into the middle school math pattern more closely with the schools to understand whether this reflects instructional approaches, student composition as children advance, or other factors.

Chronic absenteeism is running above the county median, positioned below the midpoint of comparable districts. This warrants attention, as attendance correlates strongly with academic outcomes, particularly in the middle years.

The district's enrollment spans about 12,000 students distributed across pre-K through 12, with substantial enrollment in each grade. The student body is majority white, with meaningful populations of Hispanic students, Asian students, and smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and Native American students. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility data was not available.

Per-pupil spending sits in the upper range among Kane County districts, reflecting the district's investment posture.

A significant restructuring took effect in the 2024-2025 school year. The district reorganized its elementary footprint, redrew attendance boundaries, repurposed Lincoln Elementary to house transition and administrative programming, reopened Fox Ridge as an elementary school, and reconfigured grade bands at Richmond and Davis to create K-5 buildings. Early childhood programming moved to the Haines Center. If your address is in the district, your children may now attend a different set of schools than families did previously.

Housing values in the district's service area have been rising modestly. Rental costs remain below what homeownership demands, but both rental and purchase markets are tight relative to median household income. The district's affordability ratio compares unfavorably to the national benchmark, meaning households need to spend more of their income to buy or rent.

The board is actively considering a facilities referendum to address identified building needs, improve accessibility, and support technical education pathways. This would be the first approved bond in many years, as prior ballot measures failed. If placed and approved, it would carry direct property-tax implications for homeowners. No decision on placing the referendum has been made.

The district's Five-Year Strategic Plan, adopted in 2023, emphasizes instructional coherence, a guaranteed and viable curriculum aligned to grade-level standards, evidence-based instruction, and Professional Learning Communities. This gives the district a multi-year academic framework that shapes what instruction families can expect across schools.

High school state assessment data were not available, and no graduation rate was provided. Parent inquiry with individual schools about advanced coursework, AP offerings, and college and career pathways would complete the picture for families evaluating secondary options.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

11,699

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 15%

Black 2%

White 71%

Asian 8%

Two+ 4%

Am. Indian / AK Native 1%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

43%

—

Gr 4

57%

—

Gr 5

65%

—

Gr 6

65%

—

Gr 7

60%

—

Gr 8

56%

—

Math

Gr 3

49%

—

Gr 4

49%

—

Gr 5

44%

—

Gr 6

42%

—

Gr 7

39%

—

Gr 8

41%

—

Science

Gr 5

40%

—

Gr 8

46%

—

Schools in this District

18 schools are officially reported under this district.

Wredling Middle School

Richmond Intermediate Sch

St Charles East High School

Thompson Middle School

Wasco Elem School

Wild Rose Elem School

St Charles North High School

Bell-Graham Elementary School

Ferson Creek School

Corron Elementary School

Norton Creek Elementary School

Fox Ridge School

Kane Co Detention Center

Compass Academy

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

73%

Grade 3

73%

Grade 4

66%

Grade 5

65%

Grade 6

62%

Grade 7

61%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

68%

Grade 3

79%

Grade 4

81%

Grade 5

81%

Grade 6

78%

Grade 7

77%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

62%

Grade 5

71%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$535,526

Year-over-year change+4.7%

Range across 8 ZIP codes$298K to $780K

vs. state typical1.85x

vs. national typical1.45x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (8 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
60175	Campton Hills	$636K	+5.0%	49.3%
60174	Saint Charles	$430K	+5.0%	23.8%
60119	Elburn	$469K	+2.4%	8.6%
60177	South Elgin	$372K	+3.3%	6.9%
60185	West Chicago	$386K	+4.8%	6.2%
60184	Wayne	$780K	+7.2%	2.2%
60120	Elgin	$298K	+3.0%	1.3%
60124	Elgin	$502K	+2.6%	1.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,978/mo

Year-over-year change-1.6%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,594 to $2,335/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
60174	Saint Charles	$1,895	-1.7%	23.8%
60177	South Elgin	$2,283	—	6.9%
60120	Elgin	$1,594	+0.3%	1.3%
60124	Elgin	$2,335	—	1.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,702/mo

Home price / national median income6.4x

Annual rent / national median income28.4%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$724/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$290,210 (+4.9% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.