Sherwood Elem School, Highland Park IL

Original Research by School Decision on Sherwood Elem School

Sherwood Elementary sits in a neighborhood of substantial, historic homes in Highland Park, an affluent North Shore suburb where residential streets feel quiet and established. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and enrolls a small student body reflecting the surrounding community: a large majority white, with smaller shares of Asian, Hispanic, and Black students. The school is part of North Shore School District 112, which in recent years has undertaken a visible modernization effort across all its buildings following a major bond referendum; Sherwood's renovation work sits ahead as part of the district's continuing phase-in.

Academically, Sherwood's performance across the three subjects tested shows a working proficiency, with strength in reading. In third-grade reading, students achieved proficiency at a rate above the midpoint among Lake County districts; fourth-grade reading reached a comparable level. Math results are lower: third grade showed solid proficiency, but it drops in the fourth and fifth grades. Fifth-grade science proficiency fell below the midpoint for the county. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the county midpoint, but the pattern suggests that math and science warrant attention as students move through the upper elementary grades.

The school does not report free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility, English learner status, or special education enrollment, and state testing data was not available for sixth through eighth grades, likely because the school does not serve those grades. A parent may want to reach out to the school directly to understand the makeup of its special populations and ask how the school works with students who need reading or math support.

Highland Park itself is in an active redevelopment phase focused on bringing housing closer to the downtown core and improving walkability. The Metra Union Pacific North Line station sits near the library downtown, offering commuter rail access. Housing values in the area are substantial and trending upward; median rent is correspondingly high, and the affordability calculus for families is a real factor. The district's bond-funded school renovations and the recent consolidation of the dual-language program (which affects enrollment boundaries starting in 2027-28) are both significant context for any family considering the area or the school long-term.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 74% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 62% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 65% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 67% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 72% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 75% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 59% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolNorth Shore SD 112, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.