The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 62% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Wayne Thomas Elem School
Wayne Thomas Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Highland Park, a lakeside suburb north of Chicago. The school is one of ten in North Shore School District 112, a suburban district covering Highland Park and Highwood.
In state testing, Wayne Thomas shows mixed performance. Third-grade students in math and fifth-graders in English language arts perform above the midpoint, with reading reaching a notably strong level in grade five. Fourth-grade math and third-grade English language arts fall below that threshold. Fifth-grade science proficiency sits in the middle range. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the median when compared to other schools across Lake County districts, though the spread within the school's own grades suggests uneven strength by subject and year level. Student participation in testing is consistently strong, nearly universal. Note that the school serves only through fifth grade, so no testing data exists for upper grades; students transition to middle school elsewhere in the district.
The school enrolls roughly a mid-sized elementary population distributed evenly across its six grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller but visible share of Hispanic students and smaller numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial children. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility and on special education and English learner populations were not available, so a reader cannot assess economic need or language-support demand from the available record.
Highland Park is an affluent North Shore residential community with a strong downtown anchored by shops, restaurants, the library, and Metra commuter rail. The area hosts the Ravinia Festival and appeals to families seeking suburban living with cultural amenities. The local housing market is robust; median home values are substantial, and rental rates are accordingly high. The median days on market is brief, indicating steady demand. Affordability favors buyers with strong household income. The district sits in an active redevelopment phase, with major housing projects approved or underway near downtown, including an inclusionary housing component, which may shift the demographic and economic character of the community over time.
The district itself is in a period of significant physical change. A bond referendum passed in November 2022 to fund renovations across all ten schools, including security upgrades, improved air-quality systems, and general modernization. Wayne Thomas is next in the renovation sequence, with construction expected to begin in 2026. This represents both an opportunity and a lived disruption: the school will eventually benefit from updated facilities, but families should understand that construction will take place during school years ahead. The district has also voted to close a sister elementary school at the end of the 2026-27 school year and consolidate the dual-language program into another school, a decision driven by declining enrollment in the bilingual track since 2020-21. If dual-language or multilingual instruction is a family priority, Wayne Thomas itself does not appear to house that program, so families would need to explore the district's language offerings elsewhere.
The school's location on Summit Avenue places it within the residential fabric of Highland Park, accessible via local streets, with proximity to the community's parks and downtown amenities a short distance away.
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